I was in LA last July. I caught these pieces of art in photo in order to research them later. I guess it might be time to do just that...
Amazing stuff...
Amazing stuff...
Viewing entries in
"Vacation"
We rented a car in LA and were delighted by not only getting a convertible, as requested, but one with only 5 miles on the odometer! The 'bright' color - described to us as Crayola Blue - only seemed fitting. We were then off to head north on the Pacific Coast Highway (the "PCH" among locals).
After several hours of schlepping around the grounds, we headed up the PCH and made a stop to view the Elephant Seals molting along the beach. We were told by some onsite park ranger types, that they hang out here for about 30 days, basking in the sun and washing in the surf to encourage their coats to shed.
Not too far up the coast is the famous party house of WR Hearst, commonly known as Hearst Castle (although the 'real' Hearst Castle is in Europe) . It was quiet the imposing force you would expect from a man with money and a fancy for European architecture - though perhaps not a unified vision for what he was building.
 |
| Hearst on the hill in the CA haze |
 |
| A Intimate Dinning Room |
 |
| The Coast from the Castle |
 |
| NC feet at home on CA |
After several hours of schlepping around the grounds, we headed up the PCH and made a stop to view the Elephant Seals molting along the beach. We were told by some onsite park ranger types, that they hang out here for about 30 days, basking in the sun and washing in the surf to encourage their coats to shed.
Next up... Carmel by the Sea!
If you know someone who knows the way, you can find a deserted, private beach in Malibu, CA. If you are fortunate, you will enjoy not only warming sunshine and hypnotic seas, but visits from seals and dolphins.
Led by my daughter, we drove to a popular beach in Malibu and found the crowds, complete with a crew preparing to film a ESPN Football Summer promo.
We also found a very high rock wall, adorned with rock climbers, that terminated the beach on it's South end.
Then, we were led to a hidden path that took us over the rocks and to what would be our private beach for the afternoon.
Enjoy the video below. Drop back next week for another "California First Times Trip" post.
Led by my daughter, we drove to a popular beach in Malibu and found the crowds, complete with a crew preparing to film a ESPN Football Summer promo.
 |
| NFL on ESPN does Malibu |
We also found a very high rock wall, adorned with rock climbers, that terminated the beach on it's South end.
Then, we were led to a hidden path that took us over the rocks and to what would be our private beach for the afternoon.
Enjoy the video below. Drop back next week for another "California First Times Trip" post.
First, the facts... Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving in Canada falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. Because of the longstanding traditions of the holiday, the celebration often extends to the weekend that falls closest to the day it is celebrated. (content taken from Wikipedia "Thanksgiving")
And now for something creative (and tasteless)...
Top 15 Southern Holiday Gathering Truths
1. That favorite dish your mom makes is still as good as you remember.
2. Somebody in the family is in trouble with the law again this year.
3. You are probably the only one driving a Honda.
4. Smoking is still expected inside at all times.
5. There is NOT, no matter how much we talk about it, an annual family tradition.
6. You will be expected to participate in the annual family tradition.
7. You are expected at Christmas if you didn’t visit for Thanksgiving.
8. Football will be explained with hunting analogies.
9. Hunting will be explained with football analogies.
10. There will be no raw, steamed, green or leafy vegetables at the holiday table.
11. There is always something that needs to be fetched from the store.
12. You will talk for hours and never really say anything.
13. No matter how hard you try not to, you will spend hours trying to figure out what everyone is really saying.
14. You are related to everyone there and you won’t know half the people.
15. Everyone there loves each other as best they know how.
Finally, You will either leave this holiday gathering thinking your family is a dysfunctional tragedy or the funniest assortment of people you could ever imagine – it depends on you.
And now for something creative (and tasteless)...
Top 15 Southern Holiday Gathering Truths
1. That favorite dish your mom makes is still as good as you remember.
2. Somebody in the family is in trouble with the law again this year.
3. You are probably the only one driving a Honda.
4. Smoking is still expected inside at all times.
5. There is NOT, no matter how much we talk about it, an annual family tradition.
6. You will be expected to participate in the annual family tradition.
7. You are expected at Christmas if you didn’t visit for Thanksgiving.
8. Football will be explained with hunting analogies.
9. Hunting will be explained with football analogies.
10. There will be no raw, steamed, green or leafy vegetables at the holiday table.
11. There is always something that needs to be fetched from the store.
12. You will talk for hours and never really say anything.
13. No matter how hard you try not to, you will spend hours trying to figure out what everyone is really saying.
14. You are related to everyone there and you won’t know half the people.
15. Everyone there loves each other as best they know how.
Finally, You will either leave this holiday gathering thinking your family is a dysfunctional tragedy or the funniest assortment of people you could ever imagine – it depends on you.
If I could find a way to live in the sea, I would. Swimming, snorkeling or diving in tropical waters is one of my deepest pleasures in life. There is something marvelous about being in the sea. I’ve thought about the experience and why it attracts me so: In part it is being suspended, held aloft in the thickness of the sea’s insulating waters. Perhaps it is the way the world – up there – seems to be left behind and a whole new world of colors, muffled sounds and elusive creatures appears. Maybe it is even the impending danger of surrendering to the risks of the wide open ocean. I love being in and around the sea.
There is one vacation destination I’ve traveled to more than any other - Bermuda. Bermuda is a British colony that sits alone in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. About 400 miles due east of North Carolina, Bermuda is an island less than 4 miles wide and about 24 miles long. It is a great place for enjoying the ocean’s sights and sounds. Snorkeling and diving are easily accessible, and the aquatic adventurer is never disappointed.
Today’s Sunday Coffee cup is from The Lobster Pot, one of the local bar and restaurant spots. Every time I reach for this playful mug it brings with it serene memories of many hours spent basking in the salt, sun and scenes of Bermuda’s seas.
"Mind the Gap!" We heard these words of warning countless times as we rode the Underground, the Tube - the London Subway.
Here are a couple of happy travelers!
Here are a couple of happy travelers!
The poet, Wordsworth, spent a good deal of time here in the area of England known as The Lake District. His words capture the quaint, bucolic British landscapes and the impact of such beauty on the spirit.
"I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze"
-Wordsworth
"I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze"
-Wordsworth