Wow! My adventures are off to a swell start this year! I learned so much about my neighborhood here in Los Angeles, started new quests, made some friends, and can’t wait to see what next year brings! Here are some of the highlights of my 2011 adventures!

1. The Merry Wives of Windsor!

I got to meet the Merry Wives of Windsor at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale! These lovely ladies mix lyrics in ways that are haughty, bawdy, and naughty, plus they really know how to hold a beaver right! They have a great mix of beautiful and hilarious songs in their repertoire, so I was really glad I met them!

2. Stopping to Smell the Roses!

I love flowers! The colors! The smells! To me, there is no better place in Los Angeles to frolic amongst the flowers than the Exposition Park Rose Garden! Apart from the thorns, which have to be carefully dodged, this oasis of fragrant reds, whites, and pinks is a fantastic place to brighten your day! I think this photo captures a glimpse of that, though you won’t get far trying to sniff it!

3. The Great Wall of China!

I only got a few hours to explore my first Wonder of the World, the Great Wall of China, but I made the most of it. Even though it was a smoggy day, it was still spectacular to see this massive wall weaving along this jagged mountain range! This photo captures a moment of peace before a moment of peril, when a gust of wind sent me sailing off the edge of the Great Wall!

4. Biking in Xi’An!

One of the highlights of my trip to Xi’An was getting to ride a bike around the ancient city wall! Even though the air pollution saps most of the color from this photo, I like how the red lanterns stand out against the gray brown everywhere else, and the depth of the background makes me want to go back and ride it all over again!

5. Attack of the Acrocanthosaurus!

This scary photo is actually pretty neat! While exploring the amazing Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah, I met a friendly Acrocanthosaurus who gave me a tour of the park! It took come convincing to get me to pose in his mouth, but I made it out alive in the end. Now that’s a once-in-a-lifetime photo!

6. Friends in Farm Country!

I made some new friends while visiting the tiny town of Kingston, Utah! These young calves were really curious, sniffing me and licking my feet! I really like the faces they’re making for the camera!

7. Jellyfish Daydream!

Jellyfish are magical creatures, and the jellyfish exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach really brings out their ethereal beauty with its use of light! I couldn’t help but lie down next to them and dream about the cosmos above and below the sea!

8. Dawn at the Pinnacles!

Despite my overwhelming fear of mountain lions, I set out one fine October morning to hike Pinnacles National Monument! In the early light, these marvelous stone formations jutted out of the trees on these steep hillsides like imposing fortress towers! I really like the colors and textures of this photo!

9. Supernatural Joshua Tree!

Joshua trees are magnificent, alien plants, each with its own character and charisma! This photo taken in Joshua Tree National Park captures a lot of their neat textures, from their spiky leaves to their wooly stalks! Plus, the colors are pretty neat too!

10. Solstice in Beaver!

If you’re going to spend an important beaver holiday with your beaver family, why not set it in Beaver, Utah?! I got to spend Solstice 2011 in my brother, Woodchuck’s, adopted home, enjoying the local history, and I think this photo really captures the magic of the city. America’s best water?! You better believe it!

I’m really excited to get started with my adventures this year. Who knows what next year will bring? Some say it’s supposed to be the end of the world, but I think it’s just the beginning! I hope you and yours have had an amazing 2011 and many more 20s to come!

Happy New Year!