We have seen and been to SO many interesting and fun places! One of my favorites was Hollywood hands down! The cast of characters strewn throughout the busy streets gave me ample people watching material and I LOVE people watching! The area in front of the Kodak Theater was exceptionally busy because they were getting geared up for the Oscar's. So much excitement and so many people. I saw Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Elivis, and Darth Vader all within a couple of blocks from each other. I took the photo below when Marilyn and Charlie were busy checking out what Darth was up to. We walked all around Grauman's Chinese Theatre so I could take a photo of George Clooney's hand and foot prints for my Aunt. She's a fan. After locating George we all made our way to Mel's Drive In. Classic! Once we left the craziness of Hollywood, we made our way to the exquisite area of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Oh my! After window shopping (my eyes were spent), we sat a spell in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for some refreshments. Again, Oh my! I'm not sure I can even describe the feeling of Rodeo Drive - it didn't seem quite real to me.
We made our way the next day to the Reagan Library. That was Elissa's pick but it was actually a really amazing place. We went on Air Force One and were completely blown away with, not only the Air Plane but the view from it as well. So much history in one place. Standing in front of a piece of the Berlin Wall was surreal. Simply amazing! After all was said and done, we went back to the house and I learned how to make sauce for the pasta. For those who know me, that was a big step! So, it was a day of firsts for me: I got on a plane, I made sauce, oh and I had a glass of rum. What's next? :)
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| Getting ready for the Oscars! |
| The view from AirForce One at the Reagan Library |
| Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills |
| The view from the Reagan Library |
| A piece of the Berlin Wall - so cool! |
| This was a day not only of wine, but color, texture, and light as well. Three of my very favorite things! The weather completely and utterly cooperated to it's fullest, offering us all a bath of sunshine and gentle breezes. Spectacular! I can't even imagine how amazing it must all look in it's peak season. We went to the Vineyards in the San Ynez Valley, several of them. My favorite one was Melville Estates in the Sta. Rita Hills where this first photo was taken. Four friends enjoying each others company along with great food, wine, and landscape. This was one for the memory bank! As we traveled from vineyard to vineyard, they tested the wine and I explored the grounds, then I gave them a test to see if they knew where some of these photos were taken. Yes, I dragged them into an observation test, wine-laden and all. Well, I had fun with that one :) Let me know if you know which Vineyards some of these were taken from. A trip to California would not be complete without a trip to wine country! |
Ahhhhhh Santa Fe - swoon! I fell in love with Santa Fe as soon as I saw the City Limit sign. The architecture, the colors, the food, the landscape, the people, the entire place, it all rushed over me like a great big wave of magnificence and I never wanted to leave. Of course, it helped that the weather was ideal and the sky was the most amazing blue to complement all of the rich color of the scenery, and this was only February! Imagine what it looks like in it's peak season with all of the flowers in bloom. Whoa! After all of the driving we had done, we decided to treat ourselves to a little spa time at Ten Thousand Waves. I swear, if you are looking for the most incredible vacation check out their spa, it's unbelievable! Two days was not enough time to spend in Santa Fe so I'm thinking we may have to drive home the same way and spend a little more time there. We'll see.
Once we left Santa Fe we pretty much just wanted to get to California so the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas may have to wait for the trip home. We made our way to Flagstaff, Arizona for a rest and then headed on to California from there. That day was a haul but worth it, we pulled into our friends driveway in Westlake Village, CA just in time for the sun to set. One thing I'm not crazy about is driving at night. The drive into CA had me in complete awe of the size and amount of mountains that are in the southern part of California. I guess I had no idea how hilly this place is. Our first day found us at the Getty Museum which is the most spectacular place with views to die for and then an amazing dinner near Malibu beach, complete with celebrity sightings of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. I did NOT papparazzi them!
Stay tuned for a colorful day in wine country.....
For now here is some color from Santa Fe |
| Check out those snow capped mountains in the background. |
| This is one of the views from The Getty. We're way high up! |
| Another view of The Getty from the garden area. |
| The Getty is built with Travertine stone from Italy. |
Saturday, February 20, 2010
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| Whhhheeeeee! I mean, seriously. Really? Am I really about to pack up the car and drive all the way to California? Why yes I am! Elissa and I are heading off today for an extremely exciting trip. I have a bunch of family sessions lined up in both the Los Angeles area and near San Francisco for the first and second week-ends in March and what better way to get there than to drive! I know! Now to find a route that doesn't have snow. What are the chances of that happening? Well, it will be an adventure either way. Oh, and I got myself a shiny new Flip camera so I can shoot some video of our journey. Sweet. I mean, how often does one get an opportunity like this? Well, I'm actually hoping I can make it an annual thing. We'll see. Stay tuned...... |
Did you ever have one of those times in your life when you are sooooo happy and sooooo sad at the same time? Well, last week end was one of those times for me. As they say (whoever they are) another chapter ended and another chapter begun. I'm not sure if anyone actually said that, I may have just made it up. Anyway, my nephew Collin closed one door and opened wide another one all at the same time when he put his hand out and smiled as his diploma from Salve Regina University was handed to him.
Such a proud moment!
Although I absolutely positively love each one of my nieces and nephews equally, this is Collin's time so I'm going to send him out a completely special "I love you" from your Aunt!!!!! You make me smile even just thinking about you.
From the time you were making sand meatballs at the beach for Poppy to put in the freezer to keep, to the time I watched you play tennis like a flippin' pro at both Xavier and Salve, up to today when I see what an amazing man you have become, I am so proud!.
You never cease to make me laugh with your crazy sense of humor and I know that the way you can make people smile is going to help you in whatever you do. You are going to have a fantastic future and you will ALWAYS have the love and support of your family!!!!
Congratulations! |
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