Where In The World Have We Been?

It's been almost two weeks since my last blog post.
Howard and I have been among the missing.

Where?  Here are some clues.

We went here:

 And visited here:

 Took a look at this:

 Visited in a land where things . . . 

 . . . are not always what they seem to be!

 Braved fiery explosions:

 And the jaws of a shark!

Witnessed some guy named Norman stuff a body in the trunk of his car:

 Howard made a new friend.

 Howard also got snapped buying Cinnabon sticks.  Evidence.

 He redeemed himself by rescuing his daughter from a fake shark.

Now that's a Dad.

 So I'm thinking you are probably guessing where we have been.

California!

Including Los Angeles.

 Santa Barbara.

And the odd little town of Solvang, which seems to be mostly owned by

Scandinavians, and the Chumash Indian tribe.  

 "Mom, it's a tourist trap," said our daughter Alida.

"Perfect," said I.  "I am a tourist."

Note the bag, full of cheesy souvenirs.

So what about those first pictures in this post?

We spent a Saturday afternoon at the Santa Anita Racetrack.

The first horse Howard placed a $2 bet on crossed the finish line riderless.

The jockey fell off.

True story.

You are allowed to laugh, as the jockey was not hurt.

 Santa Anita is a beautiful Art Deco-designed track, built in the 1930s.

The new HBO series "Luck" is being filmed there.

Our daughter Alida and son-in-law Josh, studying the racing form.

They came out ahead with their $2 bets.  Smart-aleck grad students.

Santa Anita, in Arcadia, is not far from Pasadena, where we had spent the morning.

At the Greene & Greene designed Gamble House.

Yes, I stole this shot from the Gamble House website ...  click here.

Pasadena is Mecca if you love Arts & Crafts style homes, from sprawling houses

designed by famous architects, to modest bungalows.  Wonderful town.

If you visit the Gamble House, ask the docent to let you walk

into the butler's pantry off the kitchen.  It is perfection.

Now what does it say about me, that I loved the butler's pantry with its walls of cupboards,

so beautiful in their simplicity and usefulness, 

more than I loved the living room, or the moody stained glass panels around the front door?

I may not want to answer that one. . . .

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We visited California primarily to visit these two people:

Alida and Josh.  You may remember them from the 47-thousand pictures

of their June 2011 wedding that I posted.  All. Summer. Long.

They live in Los Angeles, and are excellent tour guides.

Here they are at the La Brea Tar Pits museum complex.

Did you recognize the 3rd picture from the top?  The fragrant Tar Pit!

We timed the trip to coincide with Howard's birthday, and Alida's.

Our daughter may be officially a grownup, now 26 and married, but she still does things like this:

That's a Giant Sloth, friends.  The one not wearing green pants and a yellow shirt.

Did you know that camels once roamed Los Angeles?

The things you learn at the Tar Pits . . . amazing.

Universal Studios was way more fun than I thought it would be.

Sometimes, it's just good to be a tourist, and do the tourist-y things.

Santa Barbara, where we met up with friends, was gorgeous and all you have to do

is park me by salt water, and I am a happy camper.

Solvang, where we stayed for a couple of nights, was a hoot.

But with all the things we did, I think the most pictures

we took were of the things we ate!

Really.

I'm going to save some of those for another post,

because this one has gotten to be like your boring neighbor's vacation slides presentation.

But food?  Who could be bored by food?

Next time, our California food, plus stories of how we broke into a closed restaurant,

the sailing trip that may or may not have been with a homicidal maniac,

and -- the apple fritter that got away.  Sigh.

It's good to be home again at That Old House, and New Jersey greeted us
with a dusting of snow when we got home, but our trip was a blast.

Back to reality! . . . Cass

East And West. . . Home Is Best

In my mother's kitchen hung a sign, decorated with the Norwegian folk painting known
as Rosemaling. It read: Ost og vest, hjem er best. East and West, home is best.

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If the weather in California weren't so beautiful, it would be boring.
Howard and I were there for 9 days, and never had to turn on the rental car's windshield wipers.

We landed back in New Jersey in a chill drizzle.

But I am a confirmed East Coast kind of gal. Drizzle and all. It's good to be home.

Today it's the great outdoors, with our Southern Daydreamer, Susan, and her blog party for Outdoor Wednesday. You can click on any highlighted word, or the logo at the end of the post, to join all the other outdoor merrymakers!

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Howard and I stayed in Newport Beach -- an hour's drive from our daughter's apartment, but near the ocean.
You can't keep us away from the shore!

We explored a bit along the Pacific Coast Highway;

we had not been in that area for 20 years.

Mid-week, we went whale watching with Alida and her boyfriend,

and then to lunch at the cutest place in Newport Beach.

I've got a few pics of that for a food post later this week.

We didn't see any whales; it isn't the season. But we saw dolphins and sea lions, and the best part was just being out on that gorgeous ocean. There was a group of school children on the lower deck; listening to their giggles and shrieks was priceless.

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And now, we are home.
There have been a few changes at That Old House since we left on September 25th.

Remember we had some green tomatoes valiantly trying to blush up?

Well, this one is doing his level best to become sandwich-worthy.
Can't you just hear him? "I think I can, I think I can ...."

My rosemary plant is thriving still in its pot outside, but the thyme next to it has died.

Miss Rosemary will have to winter in the conservatory.

The grape vines are fading fast. Once the fruit is off, they seem to just give up the ghost.

And that rudbeckia that bloomed so enthusiastically all summer long has turned into seed pods --

rather Halloween-looking, don't you think? Definitely Addams Family material.

The Sedum plants have gone from pink, to a deep rusty red.

They are so large that they've collapsed outward from their middles.

We'll have to see about good strong girdles for next year.
A good foundation garment, ladies, can make all the difference.

But lookie here . . . along the sunroom walls the humble wax begonias are still pumping it out.

Most of the summer-blooming flowers have folded their tents for the season,

but the begonias just keep on keepin' on.

You have to admire a little plant like that.

I figure it's a kindred soul, and is also reluctant to let go of summer.

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I took some video with my camera in California, like this one of sea lions at the base of a buoy . . .

please excuse the shakiness -- I was on a rocking boat!

The voice is the docent's, speaking to the school children.

I even took a couple of videos by mistake, thinking I was taking still pictures. . .

and not checking the settings. I will be kind and not subject you to those.

I also have one of Howard snoring at the hotel, which is quite hilarious, but since I value
my 31 year marriage and would like to celebrate 32 years, I'll keep that one to myself.

Thanks to all who sent good wishes for a quick recovery from my cold. The viral gods must have been listening, as I am feeling just about all better now! -- Cass :-)