Growing up, my grandma on my father’s side lived in California. Since she was older, she lived in a community that was protected and meant for the elderly. This little community was a fenced in group of buildings that all had apartments in them. Though I don’t remember the name of the community I remember so many memories in this place from my childhood.

While my grandma was still alive, my brothers and I were still very young and still in school. My dad loved to take us on vacations to California to visit our grandma. But we could only go during our designated school breaks, such as winter and summer break, along with the others. We would go to California very often where we would visit the beaches and all of my dad‘s favorite childhood places, since he had grown up in California. 

My favorite amusement park was Knotts Berry Farm. I loved going on the rides and seeing all the cool sites. At the amusement parks we would always get the huge cups of soda with the crinkly straws and we would keep those cups just to take up space in our cabinets after we went home. I don’t think my brothers like to take me with them to the amusement parks because I was always scared to go on the rides because of my fear of heights. We would all still have so much fun, besides that.

Beaches were also a huge part of our trips to California. I loved the sand, the water and also the fun of just wearing a swimsuit. My favorite part of going to all the beaches was collecting shells. From a young age my dad had taught me how to look for shells, and ever since then I had never gone to a single beach without grabbing and taking a few shells home with me. I also loved spending time with my brothers as we raced along the shoreline and stayed at the beaches until it got dark. 

After all the fun days that we would spend we would always go back to where my grandma had lived. On the days we wouldn’t go out, my brothers and I would bask in the activities that her community had to offer. We would go swimming in the pool that they had nearby and run around the yards tracing the apartment buildings. We would find hundreds of snails and build houses out of sticks for them. We would also make the snails race each other. I can remember the smell of the grass and how the warm rain felt on my skin. 

I miss going to California to see my grandma. Unfortunately she isn’t there anymore, she is somewhere much better. My family doesn’t go to California anymore because of that. But I know if we go again we will see a part of her everywhere we go.