At the end of November, last year, Mike and his daughter, Marisa, were finishing up their SCUBA diving certification. All that was left, after weeks of pool and ocean dives at the local beaches, was one final plunge that tested all of the combined skills they had learned. Lucky for me, it took place on Catalina Island in the city of Avalon - a place I had never been before. I was excited to wander around the candy-colored tourist town for a while on my own... one of my favorite things to do is to explore, camera in hand, and it's even better by myself because I can go at my own pace. That afternoon was heavenly.

(If you're interested in a little Catalina Island history, check this out. Also, can you believe the weather in this place? Keep in mind it was November 24th!)