My guide on where to go for spooky,not scary, Halloween in Los Angeles. I love Halloween, but I'm not a guts and gore kind of gal. Fake haunted houses aren't for me, but I found a few really unusual experiences to check out before Halloween arrives.

This is the stuff American Summer Nostalgia is made of. It's National Ice Cream...

Mountains are better than people, I prefer talking to trees and nature eases my peace of mind. We are in a weird time right now where in order to come together, we have to stay apart. The #GetOutside hashtag is now replaced by the plea to #StayAtHome.

The sky reflected our moods, and we could see the white-topped peaks just out of our reach, lining the ring around our valley. I convinced my husband to go for a drive "to the top of the hill" just to get a better view. It will get us out of the house. We had been stuck inside for days because of rain. The same rain was making snow just 10 miles north of us. Why not?

What's Mom's number one job?"I would ask my girls as they were growing up. To keep us healthy & safe", they would dutifully recite.

Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, California is a perfect stop along the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a perfect mix of tropical and wild beach. If you want to truly appreciate how beautiful a beach can be, visit it early in the spring, after a rare Southern California dark and cloudy sky. Any beach can look appealing in bright sunshine and blue skies. For the wanderer that seeks raw and wild beauty where ocean touches the land, this is where you go.