The Lone Cyprus

I'm taking you to some more of our California trip. I'm doing it in bits and pieces. On the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey we saw the Lone Cyprus.

It is situated in just the most picturesque spot in all its grandeur.

We had just seen a documentary on it about a week before our trip. It made it even more interesting to see in "person".

There is a fence along most of it because you are only allowed to go so close to it. I hope you've had a nice little trip to see the Lone Cyprus with me today. Have a great day today..Judi xoxo

17 Mile Drive

Before I go on.... I saw in Yahoo some news that caught my eye because of my post yesterday on loonies and toonies and it used the world "loonie" as we do...so I'm sharing......

"TORONTO - Canadian shoppers have been paying more at supermarket cash registers, but a price war could be on the horizon if the loonie continues to trek higher and consumers react to the weak economy, some industry watchers suggest." the word loonie sounds funny to me after your reaction to it. *lol*...

Ok...on our California vacation in July we drove the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey. You pay and go through a gate, receive a little map to follow and drive along the ocean and along the beautiful homes. I can't even imagine living in a gated area where people drive to look at my place....and

the natural beauty around.

loved the homes....and imagined what they were like inside...

They were were huge and wonderful and all so different to each other. Their properties were large and beautifully landscaped. Some had bulldozeres and tractors in them because they were having some extra landscaping done. Whew.

There was a steady stream of cars travelling along the trail so we couldn't stop to take pictures. I wished Marc could have dropped me off and let me walk and snap to my heart's desire but he didn't think that was a good idea.

We actually saw a real estate sign indicating a house that had sold for $24,000,0000.!! They were going to be holding a golf tournament function at it.

We saw some beautiful and unusual flowers. This one looks like a red bottle brush.

The roadways were so amazing to drive along....

The ocean scenery beautiful....

Golf courses like Pebble Beach were giving Marc heart palpatations I'm sure....

We saw a Ghost Tree.....

and looked out for crossing deer....can you imagine....

It was a great 17 Mile drive all the way out the back gates.... How do people manage to live in places like this? We enjoyed our visit... Hope you are having a great day.... Judi xoxo

PINK Saturday in CA again....

Guess how I know its Saturday today? Well...apart from the fact I don't go to work today and I did yesterday? and don't tomorrow making it a Saturday? Because if you click on here (after you are finished here) you'll be at Beverly from How Sweet The Sound and you'll see so many other PINK Saturday participants!






These pretty flowers were in Monterey. See the pretty PINKs among the blues? What are they called again?























I hadn't realized that the grass would not be lush and green as it is here. That the yards wouldn't have to be mowed because of the grass. While we were walking to our car in Monterey I spotted a totally bare, uncared for front yard (not at all like the rest of the yards) but in the middle stood this beautiful PINK lily. I was afraid of leaving my footprints on the barren, dry earth as I walked to take the picture.

These beautiful hydrangea were growing in a little spot on Alcatraz Island of all places...

What a pretty colour PINK is. Flowers look so femininely, delicately gorgeous in PINK don't they?

I sure hope you are having a really lovely day today... Judi xoxo

Napa Valley - V Sattui Winery

So now pictures of Napa Valley, on our California vacation again. I have so much to share it seems from that trip.

We drove from SanFrancisco north to Naples, the winery country. It was a lovely drive. We stopped at the V Sutturai which was voted #1. We'd found a brochure at the hotel and when we got there we just followed all the cars it seemed. The parking lot was packed all the way to the back.

The day was gorgeous and warm and you can't even imagine all the people around there. I wish I had taken a picture to show you all the people outdoors. Out on a grill they were grilling and selling oysters in the shell and other delicacies.

Indoors people were purchasing cheeses and breads and ready made sandwiches and beautiful salads and taking them outdoors for a picnic. They had long rows of picnic table set up and everyone was like one big family it looked like.

Look at the wonderfully delicious salads...

beautiful sandwiches with yummy breads...

This is what we shared...yum!

Look at all these delicious desserts...

There were beautiful flowers outdoors and all kinds of cute spots you could steal away and talk and enjoy the scenery.

They had a winery tour and you could sample wines. Look at all the people. This place was like gold mine!

They sold lovely gifts....

This winery is a 4th generation family winery. They were setting up a stage to the left of where we sat and were setting up pretty tables around it. Large bowls as centrepieces that were filled with oranges or lemons, sunflowers and other fruit. We asked and were told they were setting up for a SOLD OUT Italian Festival that night.

We had such a lovely visit to this winery and really enjoyed the drive too.

California has such beautiful places to visit..... I hope you have a beautiful day... Judi xoxo

Bubba Gumps Yum!!!

Another tidbit of our recent California vacation was in Monterey south of San Francisco where we also visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium as well as Bubba Gumps.

Remember the movie Forrest Gump and how he said he would open up the Forrest Gump Shrimp Co? Well this is it! Its a really fun restaurant. We were directed to follow the smiling faces into the restaurant.

We were welcomed by so many happy and pleasant younger people who worked there. There were sooo many of them working there and hustling and bustling all over the place. It was a really smiley pleasant spot to be. Everyone seemed to be having fun.












At our table was a stand with this sign in red. Its the size of a car license plate. If all is well we leave it on the "green" sign












When we needed to catch someone's attention we were to turn it over to the "red" sign. Someone would be right over and we tried it and it worked!












While we sat there our waiter came and played Forrest Gump trivia with us. Marc was good at it...me not so good. But we were given clues. That was fun.












I took some pictures of some the signs hanging all over the restaurant. Do you remember them from the movie?

















We had something cold to drink. Marc had a beer and I had a strawberry lemonade drink. Oh so yum on a hot day.












We shared these very delicious shrimp appetizers. Oh my there were soooo yum!!












We were given a plastic bib. Marc wasn't going to put his on and I told him he had better! So he did and was glad he did because our dinner was splatting all over the place. *l*..














Another sign on the wall. Cute.












We both ordered the same meal. They each came in our own pot and when we took the lid off we got to work on all the seafood. There was lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, clams and we used our trusty little tools to pry everything over. There was delicious colesaw, jasmine rice and of course sourdough bread.












I knew I was in the right washroom when I read that it was "Jenny's".













and Marc went into "Bubba's".












I remember these words and had to snap them off the sign on another wall. True spoken words.












And one more sign....
It was such a delicious meal and fun atmosphere. Everything was hustling and bustling. There was a nice picturesque view of the water beside us also but I didn't get a picture of it.

So when in Monterey be sure to visit Bubba Gumps! Judi xoxo

Back from California but not Back....

We had a fabulous trip to California. We were home Friday night but couldn't get into my internet. Monday being our Civic Holiday my work was closed and they held answers to my dial-up not working.

My 45 day password had expired I was told so I fixed that at the library yesterday where I could log in. Now my 24 day vacation is almost compete. The rest of the day went away with me and I couldn't visit...

This was on our drive from airport to Oakland where we spent the first couple of nights. I found it so interesting to have the fog roll every afternoon around 4:00. High up in the mountains and over the homes and buildings. Geoff asked me the same question "what do they do when they want to bbq and its foggy?" Good question I thought.

Here is the hotel we stayed at in Oakland. Marc has stayed here many many times but not for 15 years when he'd come for business. Darn!! that WOULD have been a good Blue Monday pic!

We had a nice view

Marc had ordered a Welcome Plate for us for our arrival. Yum.

Isn't this a neat table made of vintage suitcases? They had it in the main foyer. I said to Marc now I have to start thrifting for .... suitcases... He stared at me. I don't have a spot....

We didn't have any rain except for a spit here and there or with the mist. In SanFrancisco the weather was cooler around the 60s mid 60s and perhaps it did hit 70s on one day. A bit nippy in the evening but other areas of California were much warmer. So this is a bit of Oakland I'll be back to share more of our vacation after the weekend.

Aren't these flowers lovely? California has beautiful flowers... Some flowers will have to go for Blue Monday and some for Pink Saturday....

This morning my mother is driving over and we're driving to Niagara Falls. Its a gorgeous day. It is a 2-hour drive from my place to the border and the Falls and the same route I'll be taking again tomorrow going to Marc's cottage in New York State.

So I won't be here in "real" life until Sunday and then back to work on Monday. Enjoy your week and weekend and SEE you soon!

Love Judi xoxo