The End of my Vacation to California

Here are a few more of my favorite photos of my trip to California. It is so hard to be so far away from Ashley, yet I realize how very fortunate I am to get to visit with her as often as I do. Just want to share a poem that is hanging on my wall.... "Let us guide our children with wisdom, Let us listen to their problems and help them find solutions. Let us give them Unconditional Love - No Matter What... And when they are grown, let us find the courage to let go." D. Morgan. (sorry, I am just not a very courageous person! HA!)

Crown and Crumpet, San Francisco

I asked Ashley what her favorite thing about San Francisco was and she said "Tea at Crown and Crumpet!" Now that's quite a compliment because she LOVES San Francisco!!! Crown and Crumpet is a breath of fresh air in the world of Tea Rooms. Here is a photo of me with Christopher. He and his wife opened the Tea Room only 6 months ago and have already been featured in "Romantic Homes" magazine. Impressive. Christopher is originally from England and it shows throughout his shop. We did not get to meet his lovely wife, Amy. She was in Europe on a shopping trip. Christopher was doing a great job holding down the fort. Along with his kind employees, he was busily serving the many customers, yet he still had the time to "talk shop" with Ashley and me. What a gentleman! Visit their website at www.crownandcrumpet.com. And if you are ever in San Francisco, make a reservation to have the Tea for Two at Crown and Crumpet. The tea was soothing and the food was wonderful and our "Trolley Dolly" treated us like queens!

San Francisco

Ashley and I both enjoyed our trip to San Francisco. It is our favorite city in the west! So vibrant and friendly. Here is a photo of Ashley with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. A photo of the bay. A cute photo of Bridgette and Ashley with Alcatraz in the background and another of them in Union Square. Ashley enjoyed the shopping at Union Square and Bridgette spent her time watching the trolley cars go by! What a great trip!

Oakland

We had a beautiful drive this morning up the Central California Valley. It was a lovely rainy morning (we love rain!) We saw a double rainbow in the green rolling hills near Atascadero. It looked like we could have been in Ireland! Tomorrow and Friday, San Francisco!

Redwoods and Sunset

At Big Sur we found a grove of Redwoods to explore. Ashley had never seen Redwoods before and even though these are much smaller than the ones I have seen up in Northern California, it was still fun to see her reaction to them. They are so huge and beautiful and it is so peaceful there. It makes you feel so small, like a fairy! http://www.bigsurlodge.com/ And here is the sunset at the beach near Morro Rock, just as we were finishing our trek down Pacific Highway 1. www.morrobay.org We visited Morro Bay on my

last visit to California. With an awesome view of Morro Rock, Morro Bay is a quaint little fishing village. We enjoyed having lunch bay-side and watching the seals play in the water.

California Dream'n

Have you ever had one of those days when you get to realize a dream come true? I mean one of those dreams that has been in your heart for so many years and you wonder if it will ever come true? You know what I mean? Well, today one of those dreams came true for me. I got to spend the day showing my daughter the California coast from Carmel-by-the-Sea, south to San Simeon. Pacific Highway CA1 twists and winds its way around the steep and rocky coastline. The road is very scary for someone like me, who can barely stand on the third step of a step ladder without fear... but in this case, the scariness is worth the trouble because the views are so stunning! What a joy to be able to share this with my baby daughter. Now I have another wonderful memory of a dream come true to hold in my heart.

The Tuck Box

Visit http://www.tuckbox.com/ . The Tuck Box is a tiny little Tea Room with a small dining courtyard outside. It is located in one of the original "Comstock" Cottages in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is the most adorable little cottage I have ever seen and Ashley and I wanted to just pick it up and take it home with us! We enjoyed a lovely Afternoon Tea in the sunny courtyard, surrounded by bird baths and fountains, so soothing. We had a pot of black tea, a shrimp salad and a plate of yummy scones, which actually reminded us of crumpets. We will never forget this day as the day we were introduced to "Olallieberry Jam". Oh, how wonderful it was on the scones with a big dollop of fresh whipped cream! Our server said that Olallieberries are mostly grown up in the northwest but there is a small orchard of them near Carmel. Just had to purchase a jar of jam to take home! The shop behind the courtyard of The Tuck Box is called "A great place" and it's name truly fits it. We loved poking around the shop and garden. Again, we wanted to pack up the entire garden and bring it home with us. I LOVE the Tuck Box! Ashley really enjoyed the slower pace and atmosphere in Carmel. The beach is absolutely beautiful, with a view of Peeble Beach Golf Course. We always enjoy poking around the little shops. Ashley insisted on purchasing my Mother's Day Gift at "The Tea Rose Collection". She gave it to me early... It is a set of silver knife rests with little teapots on the ends! Such a sweet daughter! We also loved the White Rabbit Shop, the pastry shop, Diggetty Dog Pet Shop... Just everything... It was all quaint, charming, relaxing and beautiful!

Palm Sunday

This is the courtyard of the San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission, better known as the Carmel Mission. Founded in 1771 by Father Junipero Serra it was once the headquarters for the entire chain of 21 Catholic Missions in the California Mission system. There is still a very active parish here, along with a Catholic School. What a joy it was to worship here on Palm Sunday. It reminded Ashley of the Alamo in San Antonio Texas, which was also originally a mission and was built in 1724. www.californiamissions.com

Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberries! It's Strawberry picking season in Santa Maria. The fields are so well maintained. Picking strawberries looks like a lot of work. It makes

me appreciate them even more. It is so wonderful to purchase the berries fresh. I can't believe how much sweeter they are! They don't need any sugar.

San Luis Obispo

We had a fun evening wandering around the Farmers Market in downtown San Luis Obispo. There was a big crowd of people out enjoying the live music, food booths and fresh produce for sale. Ashley and I couldn't resist the chocolate brownie strawberry shortcake! So good! We purchased fresh strawberries and oranges too. Just loved the fresh flowers! I like SLO! Can't wait to go back and explore some of the cute little shops!

Solvang California

I love Solvang. It is like Disney World with Wine Tasting! It is so charming.

We had a fun afternoon just walking around and window shopping. That's Ashley and my grandpuppy, Bridgette. The flowers are so pretty here! On the hillsides we noticed big patches of wild, blue lupines. And Bridgette would have dearly loved to get her paws on one of those pastries in the bakery, but Ashley said "no"! I did notice that they do not have a tea room in Solvang ... Hum....

Olde Towne Orange California

I am in sunny California with my daughter, Ashley. We are having a ball! On Sunday afternoon, we visited the charming town of Orange. What a treat! They have two of the nicest Tea Room's we have been to. We had tea at Paris in a Cup http://www.parisinacup.com/. And we toured Victorian Manor Tea Room. Paris in a Cup is very, very elegant. And Victorian Manor has a whimsical elegance. We will have tea with them the next time we visit Orange. (Wish we could do both in one day, but we just can't hold that much tea!!! HA!) Ashley and I were celebrating our birthdays. The tea was expertly brewed, the Tea Meal was delicious and our server, Mary was charming! What could be better! The atmosphere reminded Ashley of her trip to Paris, her very favorite place in the world! It was wonderful to be able to share a little slice of Paris with her, considering I have never been there myself. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner. She is a darling little lady and this is the second tea room she has owned and created. That's impressive! Be sure to visit their website and, if you are ever in Orange, you must make a reservation for tea... It is delightful!

The owners of Victorian Manor Tea Room, Jim and Carol, were so welcoming and friendly. They gave us a lovely tour of their Tea Room even though we did not have reservations. Jim is originally from Missouri! We loved them both. After just meeting Carol, I feel like I have known her forever! She told us all about her 15 years in business, what a busy lady! They have many celebrities who have tea with them in their 114 year old Victorian House. Each room is whimsically decorated in a different color scheme. It is so cute! You have to visit their website too http://www.victorianmanor.com/ You will love it too! Other shops we loved in Orange... The Heavenly Hostess, aprons, cookbooks and such, and the Tea Leaf Cottage, antiques and gifts. The cupcake shop was adorable and looked inviting, but we were too stuffed!