Tag Archives: views

A Different View

Posted on by
31

This does not look like my desert view from home because it’s not. It’s the view from a living room window of the cottage we’ve rented for vacation each summer since 2018. It’s a nice break from the heat to be in the cool weather by the beach. Plus a change of scenery isn’t so bad, either.

Here are some more views:

The living room is upstairs and has a view of the ocean. The kitchen and bathroom are upstairs, too. Downstairs is the master bedroom.

The kitchen may be tiny, but it’s full of charm.

The stairs are proving to be a challenge for my ankle. All the ups and downs to unload the car were something else! This photo doesn’t capture the steepness.

Then we went for a beach walk with friends. I made it with a little push and pull, plus encouragement, to get over the rocks and boulders to the sandy beach. Hopefully, I’ll manage it without help in a day or two. It’s a short trail, only a few yards, but with obstacles that were in my way!

One of my favorite things about the beaches in this area is they are not crowded. You almost feel like you have the entire beach to yourself.

My friend pointed out that Ashton Kutcher and his wife are remodeling their $17 million beach house. It had a small cottage in front, that they scrapped completely and they’re making the main house bigger.

Here’s a photo I took of their property last year. I read that the small cottage in front got damaged by a mudslide. So now they’re going to have a different view as well.

What do you like best about a different view than your normal everyday one?

Views around the house

Posted on by
31

I caught this Gilded Flicker hanging out in a tree.

Leaving for my morning walk these blue flowers caught my eye.

A view of the pool bar and waterfall. The swim up stools are on the other side of the countertop.

Walking past our house I noticed these flowers for the first time ever on the side of our house. It looks like bougainvillea and I’d like to plant more. I wonder where this one came from? Maybe it hasn’t bloomed before.

My husband said he’s noticed them. So I guess I’m in a fog while I start my walk.

I knew once my walk was over, I’d have to get out my camera and tripod to take pictures of the bougainvillea. But then I thought, why not try shooting things in the yard without the tripod. If the shots turned out fuzzy, I’d do the extra work with the tripod. I’m satisfied with my “freehand” photos.

Glass flowers by the fireplace. They glisten in the sun.

This tortoise is hiding in a corner of the yard.

The prior owners were into yard creatures. At first I thought they were tacky, but they’ve grown on me. Friends gave me a birthday present of pink flamingos from Costco. At first I thought those were tacky, too. But I put them in the yard with all the other crazy things. They fit right in.

pink flamingos
The birthday present pink flamingos grace our yard.

A friend of mine from college went hiking with us when we first moved to Arizona. She stared out our windows and said, “You sure have a lot going on in this yard.”

Isn’t that the truth?

While I was writing this, a huge Harris Hawk soared into the yard. I yelled because he was after my quail. He flew powerfully overtaking a quail in flight. But I scared him before he caught one. He decided to hang out on our fence and survey the area. The quail all scattered into the brush.

I’ve tried multiple times to catch a hawk in flight with my camera. They take off so quickly and get hidden behind trees and brush. I have failed so far!

Yes, there’s a lot going on in my yard.

What’s going on in your yard?

More Beach Views

Posted on by
34

Moon rising at Carpinteria State Beach.

We’re enjoying our beach time. We start the day with a morning walk and end with the same. In the evenings, we visit the beach with our towels and chairs. After our walk, my husband swims while I do my favorite thing — read a book at the beach.

Every day there is something new to see. Here are a few more pics:

I’ve complained about Mexican food in Arizona. I haven’t found anything with the same flavors I’m used to in SoCal. This is a dinner prepared by our friends in Carpinteria. Chicken mole, rice, beans and sauteed peppers. Delicious! We’re going back for leftovers!

Low tide standing near Kevin Costner’s estate. I’ve never seen the tide so low that we could walk on this part of the beach. It’s usually under water. Around the corner of the point in the distance is our beach. Well, the beach a few blocks from our VRBO.

This is the view looking back from Costner’s estate at the beach where we take our daily walks.

More incredible Mexican food. Al Pastor tacos from Kim’s Liquor a mile from our VRBO. What’s interesting, is most liquor/convenience stores have kitchens with amazing Mexican food to go. Maybe I should let Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives know about this?

Sandpipers lined the beach this morning. I don’t have any quail at the beach, like at home, but there are plenty of sandpipers, pelicans and gulls.

My daughter once said her favorite comfort food she grew up with was Mexican food (which I do not make.) I thought she’d say one of my specialities like pan friend sole, chicken and dumplings or oxtail soup. Nope.

There are certain flavors and cuisines served in different areas of the country and the world that we enjoy and love.

What’s your is your favorite Mexican food or comfort food?

It wasn’t April Fools

Posted on by
22

If you read my post on Monday, ASU won their first Men’s NCAA swimming and diving championship after almost cutting their program in 2008. I wrote about how the team’s success was due to Head Coach Bob Bowman (who was Michael Phelps longtime coach) and Assistant Coach Herbie Behm, who was one of my daughter’s coaches at Utah.

Then within 48 hours of winning the number one spot at NCAAs, social media went wild. Announcements were made from the University of Texas that Bob Bowman was named their head coach to replace retiring Eddie Reese. That came out of the blue, because amidst speculation, nobody thought Bowman would leave ASU.

At first everyone was convinced it was an April Fools’ joke.

Next, ASU announced that Herbie was being promoted to head coach. Congrats to Herbie!

That pretty much made the changes for real. Not a joke.

Now the swimming world is waiting to see what happens next. Do swimmers follow Bowman to Texas? Or, do they stay at ASU with Herbie? Time will tell.

Here are a few photos from my walk yesterday and of blooms in our neighborhood:

Did you see or hear something on Monday that you thought was an April Fools’ joke?

What are some of the fun April Fools’ joke you experienced?

In case you haven’t figured it out. I’m on TEAM HERBIE! The one who came back to his home team for his dream job. The one who isn’t ditching out after of 48 hours of a team championship to leave everyone else behind for the next step up in his career. Or worried about the next legacy or career about all him.

Weekend Getaway

Posted on by
39
Boat in Santa Barbara
I saw this boat in the parking lot of the Marina in Santa Barbara. It has my name on it!

Friday was my mom’s actual birthday. I posted my memory of spreading her ashes last year — a few days early. Mom was on my mind the past weeks. I was feeling the milestone.

Good thing I thought about how I might be feeling in advance. I had a plan. We scheduled a weekend getaway in one of my favorite places. Santa Barbara. We celebrated Mom’s birthday there. I was with friends, incredible views, a fun hotel, food, food and more food. It was a wonderful way to spend the weekend.

Here are photos from Santa Barbara:

We arrived at the Santa Barbara Airport on a sunny afternoon.

A view from our friends’ backyard.

Views from our hotel’s rooftop pool. It was breathtaking! What a surprise when we walked out on the rooftop. I had no idea it would be spectacular.

Hotel lobby. I loved how the hotel was decorated in a Spanish Colonial Revival mix with Moroccan flair.

Here we are in the mirror, with a courtyard behind us in one of the hotel’s three buildings.

Morning walk on Stearns Wharf.

Looking back at Santa Barbara from the wharf.

Where is your favorite place to go to treat yourself to a special getaway?

I’m reminded of a song by Lenny Kravitz, “Fly Away.”

Historic weekend

Posted on by
38

We spent the weekend in the Bay Area and stayed in this hotel built in 1915. It’s only a few miles from where our children live and our first time venturing inside. The beauty and grandeur made me feel I had stepped back in time.

During our weekend, we spent time with our kids, our daughter-in-law and her brother. We shared meals outside along with walks. It meant so much to me to see them in person. Although we couldn’t hug due to our DIL’s chemo treatments, we gave fake hugs several feet away and shared our love.

We also joined a friend’s celebration for his 75th birthday. It was an event with people from his childhood, high school, college, business and retirement days. His adult children and friends gave moving tributes along with laughter from their memories. I’m so pleased we were included in the celebration.

I think it’s more important to spend time with those you love than where you stay, but I’m sharing photos from our historic accommodations because it stirred memories. One of my favorite places as a family growing up were weekends at the historic Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C.

Christmas displays in the lobby of the Claremont Club and Spa.

View of the San Francisco Bay from the hotel grounds. This was taken when we arrived our first night.

I loved the festive Christmas lobby decorations.

View from the coffee shop that looks out over the bay to San Francisco. We had breakfast there on our first morning and cookies in the afternoon.

The view of the tower at night.

From the hotel’s website:

Situated on 22 acres in the East Bay with breathtaking views of San Francisco, Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel seamlessly blends its rich history with modern resort amenities for an unforgettable retreat. The imposing Tudor Revival-style palace nestled in the hills is a magnificent landmark that dates from 1915, but it’s the extensive wellness facilities that secure its top spot among the best hotels in Berkeley.

https://www.fairmont.com/claremont-berkeley/

A tile mosaic of the hotel in the Ladies’ Locker Room next to the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.

Sunset from the hotel parking lot looking from Berkeley over the Bay to San Francisco.

Have you stayed in or visited historic sites? Where were they?

Views from the neighborhood

Posted on by
48

One morning this past week was spectacular because of the sun and clouds. Here are a few views I enjoyed, plus a mule deer in a neighbor’s yard and quail in my backyard. Enjoy!

Have a great week. Are you cooking for Thanksgiving or visiting friends?