Four Days In Paradise

We had such a great weekend.  We got into the 'relaxation, vacation, kick-back mode' after lunch which was about Ventura - 2 hours into our 4 1/2 hour drive north.  It's difficult to enter that MODE while driving through the Los Angeles area but once the 101 takes you all the way west and you can see, smell, and feel the ocean that MODE creeps into your system and the relaxing begins.

It was a beautiful drive.  The hills are a combination of deep green trees in yellow fields of drying grass.  The area had a lot of rain so there are still quite a few wild flowers on the hills and sides of the road.  Bright yellows, vivid purples, some reds and blues and whites dot the slopes.  The vineyards are so lush and green this time of year. They seem to go on for miles. When I was up there in early February, they were brown sticks tied to stakes.  Now, they have come to life and their leaves are so thick and hearty.

We arrived in Cambria around 4:00 in the afternoon.  When we got out of the car, the cool, moist ocean air felt SO good.  What a relief after day after day of over 100 degree temperatures at home.  We stopped at my sister's home first.  It was good to see them and of course, to be greeted by lovable Gracie their 11 year old Golden Retriever.  She is so funny!  She ran up to me then stopped, looked around to be sure Kasey wasn't anywhere to be seen  and then proceeded with her happy greeting.  She doesn't approach me if my dog is around because Kasey is so bossy with her about me.  She really liked having me to herself this weekend and I liked it, too.

After dinner, my sister took us to the house we rented for the weekend.  It was so nice!  She and Keith picked it out for us.  It belongs to friends of theirs who live in New York and visit Cambria 3 times a year.  The man who owns it is a former U.S. Ambassador so there are many wonderful items from his travels in the house.

The house was built by a woman who was the daughter of one of the Baldwin Brothers (not the actors, LOL) of the Baldwin Piano Company.  One of them had built a huge Victoria mansion in Pasadena, California in the 1920's.   When that house was to be torn down, his daughter had all the doors, stained glass windows, leaded glass windows, the mantle of the fireplace, and a beautiful wood arch way removed from that house to be used in this house when it was built.  The arch was the center point of the architectural plans.  I've posted pictures of some of these pieces above.  When she died, the house went on the market and the current owners bought it.  It also has a detached 2 car garage with an apartment above it.  They rent out the apartment to a single woman who works in town and she oversees the house and property.  The upstairs has an ocean view and the back of the property faces the forest and will never be developed.  The first morning we were there, a mother deer and her baby were eating grass in the back yard.  It was so pretty.

On Friday, I had a doctor's appointment in San Luis Obispo so my sister and I drove down for that while Dennis and Keith went for a 2 hour hike along the coast line.  After my appointment, Carol and I headed to our favorite store and did some shopping.  I found a beautiful outfit for the cruise and it was on SALE...  I couldn't believe my luck.  Carol bought some cute cropped pants and a t-shirt.  We had lunch and then stopped at a little road side stand to buy Santa Maria strawberries on the way home.  We got 1/2 a flat, which is 6 baskets for $9.  Each berry was large and perfect all the way through.  It was as if they were picked for a VIP and delivered to us by mistake.  LOL They were the kind of good that make your eyes roll back when you bite into one.  I think we polished off about 6 each on the way home.   When we got back to my sister's house, Cari and Sam had arrived to join us for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday we went on a 2 mile walk along the coast.  I posted pictures of that, too.  The path is great.  My favorite things were seeing all the wild flowers (which did get my nose and eyes running because I'm allergic - but I wouldn't have missed it for anything), the many pelicans flying low to the water, the sounds of the seals barking at each other while sun bathing on the rocks off shore, and also the sounds of the many shore birds that livein that area.  Because Carol and Keith know almost everyone in Cambria, we met many of their friends along the path.  That was fun.  We would stop and chat for a few seconds and then be on our way again. 

We met Cari and Sam for lunch at the Main Street Grill which is not fancy by any means but they have the best food in the village.  After that, Cari and Sam went on a tour of Hearst Castle, Dennis took a nap, Keith went to work for a few hours, and Carol and I did what we do best = Shopped.

I'll finish the saga later....  Too much to report in one entry.

Until later...............   ô..ô