Small Town Life In Big L.A.

Bear Valley Springs Getaway

It's always a treat to visit our dear friends in Tehachapi, the land of four seasons. A scenic drive north and through the Mojave desert takes us about two hours. Upon arrival we shared this enjoyable cheese platter. The green grapes pictured were picked fresh off the vine and unlike any I have ever tasted.

After unpacking and a Sunday nap it was time for dinner. Chef Mark outdid himself with these succulent ribs!

I always feel at home in this guest room with a touch of Paris and the sea. What a treat to open the windows and fall asleep with cool mountain air.

This is one of my favorite things! Water aerobics in their club's giant pool surrounded by mountains! They turn up the music and a pro leads the group in various underwater exercises for and hour and a half. It goes by fast and you really get a good workout.

Such a fun time!

On the way back to the house we spotted ELK right there in the field. Apparently this is a regular sight in Bear Valley Springs.

We were able to get close and get pics! So exciting!!!

In the evening we went kayaking on the lake. It was my first time. I got to see Egrets close up and flying! On my way back to shore I even had a duck escort!

I brought a coloring book and crayons. Wendy is quite the artist! My sea turtle is hanging on my fridge. A nice reminder of a wonderful weekend.

Alas it was time to head home. What a gem Bear Valley Springs is. Open spaces, lots of land, blue skies, mountains, log cabins, and oak trees. Just beautiful!

We took the road less traveled through the land of giant wind turbines in all directions. It was like being on another planet. 

What a great trip! So thankful for our friends who have the gift of hospitality. It was good for our souls! 

Apple Farm Getaway

It’s time for a mini vacation! A  scenic drive three hours north of home where this lovely patio awaits us. We are dining Creekside and it’s in the 40s! As you can see not too many people are as adventurous as us. Praise the Lord they have heat lamps! 

We love staying at the Apple Farm! All of the hallways have displays like this. You feel like you are staying  in a gift shop.

Our room was  done in shades of blue with a cozy fireplace. It was a new experience waking up under a king size canopy bed.

We always look forward to having breakfast here and visiting the gift shop!

 Dale is happy to relax while I shop. 

Gift shop loot along with complementary treats left in our room. 

We spent the afternoon in Cambria just a half an hour north of us. A charming town with shops and restaurants. It was raining that day. We forgot our umbrellas but thankfully we had hoods.

I think this is the best Key Lime Pie I have ever had in my life! 

Aromatherapy in the gardens after the rain!

It was cold and extremely beautiful at Moonstone Beach.

Back to the Apple Farm. Such a welcoming site!

Fine dining in town. We thoroughly enjoy the off-season.

Our trip back down the coast started with breakfast at the famous Madonna Inn where the signature color is pink.

Note to self: we must eat here sometime! A pink steakhouse!!!

Next stop the turquoise waters of Avila Beach. We walked out on the pier to see the seals but they were not there this year. Apparently there are sharks in the water right now.

And here it is to music! Thank you Lord for a lovely getaway!

 

 

Fabulous Fall Day In Ojai

There's nothing like taking a back roads scenic drive to Ojai on a Sunday afternoon. This epitomizes the California country life. First stop an organic farm stand where the just picked offerings are waiting for you. The arugula and sage I purchased was cut from the garden patch as I waited. 

This says Fall to me! The corn stalks are for sale!

These pumpkins were just picked. You buy them using the honor system, placing the money for the suggested worth in a tin box.

Here's my loot safe on the back seat. There are Thanksgiving pie plans for this pumpkin.

Strolling along Ojai's shopping district at dusk.

Supporting unique small business with these wonderfully scented finds.

Discovered the newly opened honey shop and did a tasting of locally harvested honey with the beekeeper's wife.

As evening settled in we had dinner at the amazing Ranch House. This was one of Paul Newman's favorite restaurants and sees quite a few local celebrities. They are known for farm to table cuisine and feature a 5 course prefix menu. Our dinner was outstanding! I started with the grilled diver scallop which is so good Iron chef Cat Cora did a segment on it for the Food Network. Next an artfully composed refreshing salad followed by healthy pumpkin soup. My main course was short ribs with pappardelle pasta and Dale had the best filet mignon he has ever had in his life (even better than The Grand Wailea Resort in Maui)! Dessert was a trio of house made delights. Just perfect!

 

I enjoyed hearing famous stories about the restaurant from our nice waiter who is a longtime Ojai resident. Who would ever know that Marlon Brando imported some of the black bamboo surrounding our table to his island back in the day. AND that the table next to us was known as John Lennon's table because that is where he liked to dine. Apparently local Reese Witherspoon dines here and brought famous Twilight actor Robert Pattinson when he was staying with her family while shooting a movie. I just love these stories! What a blessing it is to have this escape just an hour from home!

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Enjoying The Pier At Avila Beach

When on a Cali central coast getaway one of our favorite places to visit is the pier at Avila Beach. It's only a short drive from our inn in San Luis Obispo.

The sounds of seagulls, the amazing turquoise waters, and the ocean breeze all combine to heighten the experience of being there.

Just below the pier there are steps that lead down to the sea lions that hang out there. Look at how close I am!

Just me and them and boy did they put on a show!!!

Being out in all that fresh air helps you work up an appetite, especially when you smell the aroma of fresh fried seafood. This table called out to us.

What a great time we had at Mersea's! We wanted to try everything but ended up sharing a seafood platter.

Here's a closer look at our perfect lunch in a fabulous setting. Can't wait to go back!

Lot's of fishing going on in these waters. We watched as this guy unloaded his fresh catch of dungeness crab.

Next time we will bring a cooler as all of the seafood is sold fresh at the pier.

Below us the support beams are covered in mussels.

I found Dale enjoying this slice of the Pacific. So relaxing!

Avila reminds me of a cross between the Mediterranean, a European ocean village, and Amity, the town where Jaws was filmed, yet it's Cali all the way. A great place to visit!

 

Montrose 2020 Vision Bus Tour

Yesterday we were invited by the City of Glendale to meet early in the morning and board a specially chartered tour bus. The plan being to meet with neighboring city officials, tour their shopping districts, and learn what they are doing that we could apply to Montrose.

The tour was led by Jennifer McLain, Principal Economic Development Officer (right) along with Jackie Bartlow, Economic Development Coordinator (left). We were joined by Montrose Shopping Park officials, key Montrose business owners (I'll introduce you to them in these pics), and the Executive Director of the Montrose Chamber.

The tour was well organized and we kept to our full agenda. Serving on the City of Glendale Branding Committee, it always makes me smile when I see the happy swirl logo used on City correspondence.

First stop upon arriving in Claremont: COFFEE!!! Meet Jeannie (left), owner of popular Spanish inspired restaurant CASA CORDOBA...Maureen (middle), owner of the oldest children's bookstore in the nation ONCE UPON A TIME...and Ken, owner of long time music store GRAYSON'S TUNE TOWN.

And thus the walking began. I have always wanted to go to Claremont but somehow, until today, never made it.

What a beautiful and quaint shopping and dining district in the heart of Cali. It's known, among many other things, for it's prominent colleges. Six of them I believe. We all loved this mural and would like to see some of this done in Montrose.

Now onto our first official meeting of the day.

We met with Brian Desatnik (right), Director of Community Development for the City of Claremont and had a very productive and interesting discussion. To my right is hubby Dale who serves as Business Administrator and Events Coordinator for the MSPA (Montrose Shopping Park Assn). Next to him, Steve Pierce our Communication Admin., Harvest Marketplace Manager, and Filming Liaison.

More walking, led by Brian, ensued. What beautiful weather we had!

The walking abruptly stopped the minute we saw PIES!!!

My friend Gigi (right) and I had the same idea! Gigi owns IT TAKES A VILLAGE KIDS and serves as V.P. of the MSPA Board. Note: I LIKE PIE we need you in Montrose!

We all admired the lush plantings throughout the Claremont shopping district.

Thank you Brian for sharing your valuable time with us. I enjoyed your manner and we all learned so much!

This shot was taken from the bus window on the way to Covina and epitomizes the Southern California Inland Empire. Palm trees, bougainvillea, blue skies, mountains, and the American flag.

Being a "foodie" I LOVE trying new places! Lunch was at gastropub BREAD AND YEAST in the heart of the Covina shopping district.

Among other things we enjoyed these Portobello Fries with bacon and shaved Parmesan. YUM!

We dined with Covina Asst. City Manager Angel Carrillo. Once again most informative.

In our after lunch tour we came across this sign. LOL!

Uh oh! As if the pies in Claremont weren't enough! Just had to buy pastries at PAN DULCE! Do you see that empty spot where the jelly rolls are? I've got it in the bag!

Now we are in Monrovia. Call out to KNOT TOO SHABBY: Come to Montrose!!! What a cute store! They sell chalk paint and teach you how to use it!

Glad we are walking off our lunch!

At least until we ran into this giant poster of Thor!

Hahahahahahahahaha! We do have fun!

Beautiful fountain vignette in Monrovia,

We like this colorful photo op too. Wondering if we might want one of Meatball the bear in Montroseland?

We ended the day at 38 DEGREES ALEHOUSE where Monrovia business owner and volunteer extraordinaire Pam Fitzpatrick graciously shared her work on behalf of the Monrovia shopping district. This woman deserves a medal!

Alas the "party bus" awaits to whisk us back to never never land. THANK YOU City of Glendale for a wonderful day on behalf of #montrose2020vision We learned much and enjoyed ourselves doing it. GREAT job Jennifer & Jackie!

Boysenberry Festival at Knott's Berry Farm

 It only happens once a year. The BOYSENBERRY FESTIVAL at Knott's Berry Farm, a popular theme park about an hour and a half south of us. Abundant bougainvillea and blue skies are part of the welcoming path this day.

Boysenberries and Knotts go way back to 1932 when Walter Knott began propagating the new plant, a curious cross between the red raspberry, blackberry and loganberry.

 The festival was decorated with berries and purple was the color of the day!

 Of course I had to comply wearing every boysenberry thing I had!

 Today was all about the berries and this "foodie" gal was in heaven. How about these Boysenberry meatballs! A skewer for each of us!

 This perfect Boysenberry ice cream cone was so refreshing!

 Be still my heart! Boysenberry candles that look like pies and cupcakes!!!

 Check out these tempting displays!

 Knott's has an old Western cowboy theme, one of the highlights being the show in the Calico Saloon.

 This is founder Cordelia Knott's original fireplace.

 The Calico Mine ride is about our speed these days.

 Fried chicken is a MUST when you visit Knott's. They serve theirs with homemade biscuits and boysenberry jam. We washed it all down with boysenberry punch.

 Oh how pretty! I wanted one but practiced self control...

At least until I saw this! We shared it and had boysenberry coffee.

 

 What a beautiful So Cal sunset. Even the sky got in on the boysenberry act.

We capped off the evening with a visit to Camp Snoopy. The end of a fun filled boysenberry day.

Inside Harry Potter Los Angeles

 Yesterday we were in for a big surprise. Being the day after the Oscars and a Monday all was on the quieter side at Universal Studios Hollywood. They are busy getting ready for the grand opening of Harry Potter on April 7. SURPRISE!!! They were testing things out and we were able to see and experience the whole thing first class!!!

Ahh! Snow and Hogwarts only thirty minutes from home!

Many of the great shops were open too.

Honeyduke's Sweets Shop was a fun experience with novel treats like Pumpkin Juice.

We received a grand welcome to the star attraction, Hogwarts, featuring Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

I don't believe we will ever see a sight like this again. These winding walkways are made for long lines and big crowds. We were able to walk all the way in. Amazing!!!

And there they are! Harry, Ronald, and Hermione! The ride was awesome!

Then it was onto the roller coaster at Hagrid's Hut.

We were thoroughly entertained by this frog chorus as they sang, danced, and then posed with us. What a treat!

Being the "foodie" that I am it was nice to meet Executive Chef Anthony at the brand new Three Broomsticks Tavern.

The comfort food menu is very appealing and reasonably priced.

We chose the Lemon Roasted Herb Chicken with corn on the cob and roasted potatoes. Yummy!

Checkout the view from our table!

What an exciting day! One of my favorite things about Universal is the music. The beautiful instrumental musical score from the Harry Potter movies is perfectly played throughout the attraction making you feel as if you are really there. This is going to be a huge draw. How thankful we are that we got to see it all up close and personal before the throngs arrive. WOW! WOW! WOW!

In Search of Ramen

Oh the joys of living in Los Angeles and being able to mix business with pleasure. Earlier this month we headed downtown to meet with a vendor. Here we are crossing the L.A. River via the famous 4th STREET BRIDGE. Known for it's Gothic revival architecture, this bridge is home to many movie and TV shoots. 

This is a typical February day in downtown LA with views all around. Several of these former industrial buildings are being converted to condos. It's like an epidemic here with tons of people moving to the city.

Since we were in the neighborhood we decided to check out one of Little Tokyo's most popular ramen places, in the top 10 per L.A. Weekly. It's what I would refer to as a "hole in the wall" = old and grungy. Not my cup of tea...

There was a wait to get in. Most were hipsters and millennials, cell phones in hand. Upon being seated we were given this complimentary salad. Meh? 

And this my friends is what everyone comes for. THE RAMEN.... with ultra rich murky broth, thick noodles, pork belly, and a marinated whole egg. I have to admit it was good. Loved the noodles & broth, couldn't quite get into the belly & egg thing.

The tempura was just "OK".

After checking GOOGLE MAPS (don't leave home without it!) we were told to take a different route home. It was nice to drive by ECHO PARK, an historical neighborhood close to downtown with steep, steep hills.

Down in the "flat lands" you'll find this peaceful lake with ducks, palm trees, water fountains, and a nice walking path. It brought back fond memories of our dear friend Rose who owned a spectacular former movie stars home on top of the hill. We would meet there for church and bible study and had some amazing 12 course Italian dinners there with our whole church family. One of her ceilings was painted with a mural by Thomas Kinkade before he became famous.

I hope you have enjoyed this little adventure as much as I have sharing it. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Winter Escape To Bear Valley Springs

We received a warm welcome visiting our dear friends a few hours north. A much anticipated "escape" after the holiday retail season!

The plan was a DOWNTON ABBEY marathon to kick off the start of season 6. We enjoyed watching each night by a roaring fire. Lovely!

During the day we went exploring. As we proceeded up the secluded mountain we found SNOW! Our destination was the gift shop run by an order of cloistered Roman Catholic nuns living on a self sustaining dairy farm!

 Upon arrival we were greeted by this friendly fellow.

What an awesome sight!

Inside, the cozy chapel was decorated with fresh pine boughs from the surrounding woods. The smell of Christmas.

  Down the mountain and through the covered bridge...

 

where we found this cute church. There's something about a white country church with a steeple that tugs at my heart every time.

Now we were all hungry. Overlooking the golf course at The Mulligan Room we had the perfect lunch! Chicken Tortilla Soup and Fish & Chips with malt vinegar hit the spot!

 Alas it's time to leave. This shot was taken just before El Nino started.

The rains began and Google Maps directed us to take a new route on a winding road through the G-I-A-N-T windmills. They remind me of aliens & War of the Worlds. Fascinating to see them up close.

The scenery was inspiring with fog rolling through the Mojave desert!

 Rain was pouring as we drove past famous VASQUEZ ROCKS where Star Trek was filmed. Looks like another planet doesn't it? We're close to home now, rested and thankful after a wonderful visit. What a great way to start the new year!

Such FUN at the L.A. COUNTY FAIR!

Riding the sky tram and seeing sights like these bring a thrill to my heart! There's nothing like the L.A. County Fair!

The Mardi Gras themed garden pavilion begged to be photographed. Good computer screen saver material here!

Just like the olden days!

Funny this stand had some of the healthiest food around. The grilled chicken kabobs were delicious!

Now I know how to root and propagate herbs!

How does he do it???

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to shop the pavilions! Can't wait to go back!