all your entries to "common misconceptions about your state" brought back so many memories.
We moved to Santa Barbara in 1984 for a two year postdoc stay of DH at the University. Next to his salary we had a scholarship from the swiss national found and thought we were rich. Arrived at Kennedy airport with two toddlers and about $2000 in cash - but not one single quarter for a trolley and had to find out that you need a taxi to change gates.
The first week we stayed at his professors house and had to get everything from a house, car to tablespoons. Thats when we found out that we would barely make it with our money and that you are not a human being without a state driverslicence.
The professors wife showed me around and my eyes almost popped out by the size of everything: the suppermarkets, the steaks and that you can buy all kind of pills without prescription. She pointed me towards the contraceptivs, my english wasent very good back then and I just figured after a closer look. When I told her that I am four month pregnant with our third baby she almost fell backwards. We had to learn several times that middleclass californians dont have more than one or two children and double income to pay for college later.
We got introduced to yardsales. What a great thing and the people finding out the we were swiss and in need of everything trew in some extras and we were settled within days.
The neighbours were very friendly and suportive and there was a lot of social life going on in the parks.
When I went into labour a neighbour took care of the two bigger ones and gave my son one of his biggest disappointments of his young life. Asked whether he would like hamburger or hotdog for lunch he voted for hotdog and was quite disappointed that his meal did not look like a puppy at all.
During those two years we spend our weekends and holidays up and down the state. Loved the mountains and the whole coastline. From the wild animal park in San Diego, of course disneyland I remember Carmel and San Francisco the most.
And of course the camping at lake casitas with a neighbour and her two little girls. Our hubbies "parked" as up there and visited for the weekend. Every night after bringing the children to bed we sat by the fire with a glas of wine and she was teaching me all the words you dont find in the dictionairy......
After he finished his job we bought a RV and went on a seven month trip trough your country, it was the best time of our life! There was a double bed on top of the driverscabine and DH constructed a "fence" so our children would not fall down. They slept there like a bunch of puppies. After puting them to bed we would mostly drive for another two hours or so.
From Arizona to Oregon and Washington up to Vancouver, then across Canada (boah....never ending space) at Niagara falls back to the states down to Florida and then along the coast of the gulf of mexico to baha california and finally across the middle of the country back to new york were we borded a plain with three little children and 140 pounds of handluggage!?
Traveling with children is like walking a dog: you get into contact with people very easy and the easiest was it down south............after we found out that they are actually talking english:-) We were even invited for dinners to their houses and only one time we were stared at quite puzzled. We felt that there was something "wrong" till we figured that we were the only whites in the park. After they found out that we are not "snobby californians" (heard that a couple of times) everything was fine.
Having heard a lot of warnings about getting robbed and worse in Mexico we went down baha mexico and the welcome was even warmer. They were excited about three little blond ones and besides being cheated at gasstations everything went fine.
I recall sunrises in the rockies where the mirrorimage in the lake was as clear as the surrounding mountains, I remember all these stunning national parks and I just loved South Carolina and Giorgia.
And all these parades troughout the country and we never had a camping chair and a cooler like all the others. And all this occations where the national anthem was sung. Also unforgetable the thanksgiving dinners and a lot of other marvellous dishes (next to the horrible bread and pastry ;-))
I could go on for hours and you sure got a great country. I still cant hear willie nelsons "oh beautiful" without getting tears....
Granny