Looking forward

What a difference nine years makes.......

A Visit to Mrs. Darling

We finally visited Mrs. Darling's on Sunday.

Simply adorable and welcoming. Mrs. Darling is so sweet. The kids were stumbling all over themselves for the opportunity to tell their story.  We can not wait to visit again, soon.

And then......

On the Mend

Finally feeling like I am on the mend.  Time to prepare for the return to school and work.  But what I am already daydreaming about is the coming holiday season. More on that later.

Here is the final segment on our roadtrip.  Our day started with breakfast in downtown Gilroy at O.D.s.  The whole town smells like my mother's kitchen when she would make garlic and wine marinated meats.  Just lovely.

Lee had a dish called the Kitchen Sink.  We all had a delicious experience. After breakfast be browsed through the antique shops.

After our little jaunt in downtown Gilroy.  We headed for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We definitely prefer the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  Parking is difficult at best.  When asked if there was a shuttle, the parking attendant smartly responded, "It is just a short five minute walk."   There is nothing "just" for me but oh well.
We found that some of the exhibits were at times cheesy, especially the seahorse exhibit. Then there were all the environmental propaganda displays when what we would have liked to see for our $100 were more live exhibits.  The lay out of facilities is not conducive to the handicap or for strollers.  We almost missed the flamingo exhibit because you had to go up in one elevator and then down in another elevator.  Upon entering the Aquarium no one greeted us or passed out maps. 

The jelly fish did delight and there were photo opportunities throughout.

Tourist trap shops on our walk back to the car.  Okay, so we won't visit again but it was worth seeing once. 

Happy Friday on the Road

We had such a good time yesterday,  just wandering with no clear direction. Today we  have plans to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. but little else is planned.  We have been using the Yelp site to help us select home cooking and it has not failed us yet.  Lee posts there, too.

Yesterday, we had a rough start after sharing a motel wall with a rap enthusiast that liked to bang on the wall if you get my drift.  But that is a budget conscious life on the road..  This is the first time this has ever happened so all and all not so bad.  The kids slept right through it.


The rest of the day flowed perfectly.  We had breakfast at First Awakenings in downtown Salinas. Yummy with flawless service and  a spotlessly clean atomsphere.  Clean restaurants rank at the top with us.  There is nothing as unsettling as having a good meal and then discovering a filthy restroom.  It always makes me wonder.

 
There is plenty to explore in downtown Salinas.  We just thought this was funny but it was really Raining Men.

The shop that inspired our visit to Salinas.  La Belle Epoque. 

Musings on Main Street.

Browsing at the Halltree Antique Mall located at 202 Main Street.  A quick trip around downtown in search of cute cottages.  Here is one of our favorites.

After visiting Main Street we were back on the road for a short trip to The Farm.

I have to have a fountain.  A project for another day.

The Farm allowed us to run around a bit and pick up the sweetest farm fresh strawberries.  There were baby bunnies and chickens. Summer Happiness.

We stumbled on this goodness:

Fried artichoke hearts...so fresh.

The next leg of our drive was amazing.  Back to a memory I had.  Years ago we spent Mother's Day on a Victoria magazine sponsored adventure.  A day of wine and roses.  One of the nurseries we visited that day was Roses of Yesterday and Today.  The road to reach the nursery winds through lush greenery, amazing trees and over creeks. 

In truth I miss my mother everyday but as we near the one year anniversary of her passing it seems to get more difficult not easier.  So this visit was very special to me.  We were the only visitors.

The photo doesn't due justice to the beautifully perfumed air and all the roses still in bloom.   Bellle of Portugal went home with us. 

The get-along was now really hungry. This is where we found yummy linguica sandwiches made with fresh french bread.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing our adventure.  Yolanda if you are out there.  We are thinking of you and wishing you good health.

Roadtrip to Salinas

Still feeling under the weather even though I have followed doctor's orders since Monday.  We started our trip at Ikea.  Holly got to join Jacob in the play area for the first time.  Lee and I had a cup of coffee in complete quiet.

Holly and Jacob tested out fantasy bedrooms.

  Waiting patiently to play.  We completed an Ikea project before leaving home.  Can't wait to show you.

We hit the road... This is the long stretch on State Route 46, note to self pick a different route home, two lanes with 16-wheelers that will not move over to let you pass. Looks like a lot of construction is going on so this may improve eventually.

Visiting Paso Robles..  Super cute shops, nice people and good eats. 


Reminisce  was our first destination shop.  The shop is huge a must stop. 

The friends Jacob made at Reminisce.  Aren't they super cute and they told us about the best mac and cheese at the Kilt.

Right next door is the Cottage and across the street is the thrift store.

Down a few blocks on Pine is the Kilt  where we had a yummy stick to your ribs lunch. 

We drove to Salinas in time to find all the places we will visit today.   

Summertime Reading

Finally, a little time to read books for pleasure.  I finished Kate Jacobs' Knit Two and can look forward to, the third book in the Friday Night Knitting Club series,the paperback version of Knit the Season will be released on November 2, 2010.
I also finished Debbie Macomber's Hannah's List started and finished the book today.  I've had Hannah's List since Mother's Day but cracked it open for the first time today and read all the way through.  Looking forward to a quick road trip in the next few days.  Visit here for updates.

Alicia Paulson's New Book is Released

Alicia Paulson is one of my all time favorite bloggers.  I discovered her years ago in Country Living magazine but started reading her blog while on maternity leave over three years ago.  She is definitely the girl next door and inspires old fashioned flair with a warm chocolate chip cookie.  That is the best way I can describe it.


Embroidery brings so many favorite childhood memories to mind.  My most favorite embroidering memory involves long sleeved jean shirts with sunsets and saguaro cactus. We are talking bright yellow and orange kindergarten suns.  Chrisy and I have been friends since we were four years old and the thought of sharing time working on crafty and baking projects can take me back thirty years in an instant.

Renegade Flickr

Photo Op at Renegade Los Angeles  go over and see Lee, Holly and Jacob at the Renegade Los Angeles owl.  What a hoot.