Candy and Kites in Bodega Bay

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imageWhile staying in Napa, California, and planning a visit to Bodega Bay, friends emailed  to tell us about a store there owned by long time friends of theirs. Second Wind specializes in kites, toys, sweets, and fun. Above is a bowl filled with sweet salt water taffy we bought there. We’d never seen so many flavors and we wanted to try them all. The shop was also filled with every sort of kite imaginable. We met Elaine, a very welcoming lady and one of the two owners. She took the photo below of me and my husband and our dog Annika in front of the store. We had a great time looking at the games, puzzles, wind socks, ground spinners and too many other items to mention. If you would like to learn more about this delightful store, take a look at their web site, www.secondwind.com.

imageOn  our way back to Napa, we drove through the town of Bodega, where we stopped at the old school house where Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds. You can see the building in the two photos below.

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imageIt was a busy day with lots of exploring. I wonder where we will be off to tomorrow. Right now I’m going to enjoy a piece of that yummy salt water taffy.

From New Zealand to Napa California

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Last April I spent three weeks with our daughter who lives in New Zealand. While there I purchased this stove top espresso maker. I wrote about it in the posts titled Coffee in New Zealand, and Love my Stove Top Espresso Maker. One of the things I love about it,  is its portability. Above you see a photo I took while preparing a cup of espresso on the stove in our 5th wheel trailer, during a recent trip to Napa California.

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Delicious espresso ready to enjoy. Another plus with the stove top espresso maker, is how quickly you can prepare a single cup of coffee, which I often do in the late afternoon. Our daughter recommended that I buy the stainless steel version rather than the aluminum variety which I did, even though it was a little more expensive. Being coffee lovers we also have a Keurig  coffee maker which uses pods, and we use it most days, but for size, flavor, and convenience, you just can’t beat a stove top espresso maker for a robust cup of coffee.

The Completion of a Knitted Blanket

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Finished blanketI belong to a lovely group of women called The Crafty Ladies. The group meets once a week, to knit and crochet items for those in need. I’m a knitter, but a slow one, which is why I’m so pleased to have finally finished my latest project. This blanket will go to Orange County Child Abuse. The Crafty Ladies, is a group of ladies who generously give their time and talent creating beautiful items which are donated to several different organizations. We meet on Wednesday mornings at the Norman Murray Community Center in Mission Viejo, and although we officially start at 9:30 a.m., many of the members are there by 9:00, because it’s always so lovely to sit, chat, and do our needlework. Below is a photo of the yarn I used in the above project. There is also a photo taken in the very early stages, and you may notice that I used circular needles when knitting this blanket.

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With the completion of this blanket, it’s now time to choose colors for my next project. For me this is one of the most exciting parts. Once I’ve made that decision, I’ll be sure to show you the beginnings of the next blanket.Please stay tuned.

Exploring Toy Haulers

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trailer hallToday we went to a local RV dealer to investigate toy haulers. We currently own a 5th wheel trailer, which we love, but have often said how nice it would be if we could take our scooter and can-am spyder motorcycle along with us. This is the reason we've talked about looking at toy haulers which would give us that capability. Today our curiosity got the better of us and we went looking. We looked at several,and the Winnebago Spyder was our favorite.I took this photo from the kitchen looking down the hall into the bedroom. Below you can see my husband checking out the kitchen. Though shorter than our current trailer, it was very nice and we gave it two thumbs up. We're not ready to make such a big change right now, but it was fun investigating. We let the salesman know up front we were only looking and did not want to waste his time, but he said he was happy to show us around. We appreciated that he was very helpful and informative, but not at all pushy. We did take his card, and who knows what the future holds. 

Martin 2 kitchenOn the saleman’s recommendation we ate lunch at a small cafe across the street.
lunchI had a delicious sandwich and we both thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at the Cafe Latte.
As we left for home, we learned that there were flood warnings in several Orange County cities, including Westminster where we were. At that moment, the day was sunny and warm, and it was difficult to believe the predictions. On the drive home we spotted the clouds ahead. Fortunately we made it home before the rain started. Our area never did see rain. Exploring the toy haulers, eating a delicious lunch, and just being together made it a great day.
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A Visit to the Los Rios Historic District

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yellow houseThis morning I rode my can-am spyder motorcycle to the library, and afterwards decided it was too lovely a day to go directly home, so continued south into San Juan Capistrano. Above you see one of the charming little coffee houses in the Los Rios Historic District, which is a special part of the unique city. Los Rios Street is an example of neighborhood life at the turn of the century. It’s not only the oldest neighborhood in San Juan Capistrano, but the oldest in the state of California. We’re so very fortunate to live close to this charming part of California. There are about 40 homes and they vary in age from 50 to 204 years. Most homes are private and can only be viewed from the street, but several are now gift shops, museums, or tea and coffee houses. The street is lined with lovely flowers, and below is a gorgeous example.
pink flowerHidden house coffeeAbove, another coffee house, and below, the beautiful Hummingbird Cafe.
hummingbird cafeI took many more photos, but the ones I’ve posted should give you an idea of why I love to visit Los Rios Street, and always make sure to have my camera. You can park in a free parking building on Verdugo Street in San Juan, next to the Am Track station, and walk to Los Rios Street. If you’ve never seen the Los Rios Historic District, and are in or near Orange County, please go and see it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.