Journeys›Photograph

Redwoods, Sand, and a Birthday

·San Francisco, California·#winter#hiking#bay area#family#holidays
A smiling person holds a child in a green dress pointing forward, in front of a decorated Christmas tree.

We made a whole day of the birthday — redwoods first, then the beach, cake back at the house at the end of it.

Under the trees the kid looked about the size of a thumb, a spot of pink on the path with the trunks going up out of sight. No hurrying anyone through that part.

The beach was where the real work happened. Both arms went into a sand mound up to the sleeves, the yellow dump truck parked off to one side and the castle bucket abandoned early. The sand got more sustained attention than the tallest trees on the coast, which seems about right for the age.

Then home for cake — white frosting, pink roses piped on top, and the birthday kid grinning behind it with frosting on the chin already, one hand hovering over the whole thing like a claim being staked. We got it cut before the hand landed. Mostly.

A smiling person and a young child are outdoors in front of green foliage and plants with berries.A child in a pink outfit and flower headband holds a wand, standing before a brightly lit Christmas tree.A path with a child and two adults winds through a forest of towering redwood trees with sunlight peeking through.A child in a green dress stands beside a decorated Christmas tree with a finger to their mouth.A young child in a pink sweatshirt is buried up to their chest in sand, with toys nearby on a sunny beach.An adult points upward with a child, both looking at fish swimming in a large blue aquarium tank.A smiling young child in a pink hoodie sits on green grass with trees and a distant cityscape under a blue sky.A smiling child in an apple-print shirt sits behind a white birthday cake with pink frosting and a "4" candle.

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