far away fridays

Our little journey to the beach was wonderful...regretfully, it was too windy (and a little too chilly) to lie on the beach and soak up the sun, but we did soak up some culture in Santa Cruz, watch a movie (The Visitor), go for nice walks, beautiful drives, and we had our fair share of delicious coffee. It was nice spending time with Kristin (she's such a fun girl...she makes me laugh until my sides ache), we browsed through antique stores and the World Market...yesterday we actually ended up in Capitola and discovered many cute shops and beach houses there that made us drool...it was so nice to get away and just be carefree...

far away fridays

I love to go to the beach and Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places to go here in California. With any luck I will be relaxing under an umbrella on a sandy beach one day next week! I want to wiggle my tootsies in the sand and nap beneath the pages of a book and forget all about Shakespeare...Tuesday is my last day of school and then I will be FREE free FREE!

far away fridays

This is one of my
favorite places to stay
when I need a little get away.
Kristin and I began taking a mother-daughter trip to Pacific Grove every year starting when she was in the fourth grade...we haven't been in two years, but once I start working again, we will resume our tradition...














This is Pacific Grove Inn,
an adorable little Bed & Breakfast...
I think we've stayed in just about every room...














A few times we have taken friends along with us and made it a "girl's weekend".

Wonderful memories...a peaceful place where the sea foam can gather around your toes and carry all of your tensions back out to sea...


I can't wait to go back...

I've even "borrowed" some of their recipes from the kitchen...I'll have to share those some time...and they serve afternoon tea...they have a piano in the sitting room, Kristin has filled the room with lovely melodies a time or two.

Sweet, sweet memories...can't wait to make some more!

far away fridays

History is fascinating and especially when we can visit places that have become rich with heritage from those who have passed before us. California has 21 missions along a strip familiarly called El Camino Real that stretch along the coast where Spanish settlers and Native Americans “converged” many years ago when our country was just getting started. This little place is located in San Benito County and is right along our path when we journey to the ocean. As the kids grew we frequented here just to take in history and soak up the atmosphere. Here lies the

Mission of San Juan Bautista founded in 1797. It’s a place where one can FEEL history. The sounds of the wooden floors creaking, the dusty smell of the air, the artifacts, and the presence of a sanctuary that still holds mass every day. There are many rooms filled with the past and it is amazing that so much of it still exists. Everything is quiet and one is compelled only to whisper and stand witness to lives and practices gone by. They have a little souvenir shop that is loaded with catholic articles. Outside the mission walls there is a huge garden area, a cemetery and the entire site sits up on a hill that overlooks the actual trail or “highway” that was traveled by settlers. The encompassing walls are wrought with tangles of flowers and vines, and one gets the sense that not much has changed over the years. It’s both an educational and peaceful place to spend a little time.

far away fridays

Every summer of my kid’s lives has been charmed by this beautiful place called Pinecrest…well, up until two years ago anyway, that’s when their lives began filling with obligations of work schedules and family campouts had to take the backseat….one of the lesser attractions of growing up. My family loves this lake for its family atmosphere and its breathtaking design. Every summer allowed each of us the opportunity to explore different levels of nature. Here we could unwind by the campfire, kayak, fish, hike, or even explore more adventurous trails a bit higher where even more beauty could be discovered. This is the lake where I could let my kids go (greater distances each summer) with walkie-talkies in their pockets and not have to worry too much about them. Each year we would meet dear friends and catch-up with each other’s lives around the campfire. At Pinecrest there is a long-lived tale about a boy who went missing, so every night after dark when families are sitting around the campfire, they each take turns yelling at the top of their lungs, “Elmer!” I never could figure out why the little ones got such a great kick out of this, but it has been going on for years and years. I love family camping…the marshmallows…the smell of campfire…the sleeping bags…the pine trees…waking up to the brisk reality of another way to live and breathe…and of course, coffee never tasted so good! My very first experience at Pinecrest was with Annette and her family when we were little girls and then after Dave and I got married we went every year with family and friends…some of the people have moved away, and some have passed away, but I know my kids have very fond memories of stories and friends they have made for themselves, just as I do. I really hope it is a place we can revisit soon…it never seems to change…and that’s part of its charm.

far away fridays

Sweet friends, I’m afraid I’ve depleted my stack of vacation pictures on CD that I could easily upload to my blog and since I do not have a scanner, I do not have the means to share what other pictures I have…so I will have to be resourceful to continue participating in “far away Fridays”, but for today I am sharing what might not be so far away to me, but is certainly far away for you…I drive about 17 miles to school (one way) everyday…not too far, but the campus is beautiful, so I thought I might take you on a little tour. There are quite a few pictures and I am turning the pages rather quickly, so try not to blink for the next minute or so and you can accompany me on a typical day's worth of sights...if you were here, we'd stop in and enjoy a cup of Peet's coffee along the way!

far away fridays

We traveled a big loop on Route 66 a few years back. One of the places we stopped was Grafton, Utah. It was quite literally a ghost town, as we were the only ones there. We explored all the buildings and cemetery and I thought it was kind of an intriguing place. Most of the grave markers that were legible read “Killed by Indians”. There was an unbelievable amount of dead flies in the church, and why I would remember that I don’t know...we just thought it was eerie. The ground there is made of rich red clay and it was wet that day, so at one point our SUV was sliding around pretty good when my husband made us all get out for safety’s sake and while he got us out of that mess, the kids and I walked up the road out of the way and laying in the wet clay my daughter found a hand-forged bolt that had surfaced from the days when people lived there. I have always been fascinated with the history behind things. I think I am curious about how we are all linked mysteriously to the past and the stories (and places) that survive give us a little insight into the lifestyles that are lost…bits and pieces of our heritage. For more background and information on Grafton, Utah...click here.

far away fridays

Here we go on another tour for "far away friday". I enjoy getting around to those blogs participating and seeing where people have traveled. I almost feel like my post today is cheating because Yosemite is in my backyard, but I know not everyone has been there. We had a Japanese exchange student live with us for a year once and Yosemite was one of the first places she wanted to see. I remember she referred to it as a "perfecture" and I think that is an appropriate term for it. It is definitely where God's creation and grace come together. We have had many experiences at Yosemite and some of them involving bears, but thankfully the Brown Bears we have in California are not known to be aggressive. One of the popular challenges of Yosemite is climbing Half Dome. Everyone in my family has done it but me. I'm kind of afraid of heights, so they are going to have to use a new strategy to get me to go up there. I do enjoy climbing up the Mist Trail and seeing the waterfall though, that's not so bad!

far away fridays

These are pictures of our family vacation in 2004 when we went to Maui. Regretfully, I couldn't find the ones I was looking for, but these will give you a general “peek” anyway. It was such a fun vacation for so many reasons…it was our first time visiting one of the islands and I can’t wait to go back. What a joy it was digging out these pictures…I was reminded of many happy moments. We were only there for 7 days, but we managed to squeeze in a little of everything. There is so much history on the islands. We hiked through the bamboo forest near Hana to get to the spectacular waterfalls, went snorkeling, visited volcanoes, and numerous other touristy stuff, but one of my favorite things was one of the day hikes we took through a wild orchard of guava trees. I can still remember the sweet scent in the air and how we picked and ate guavas all day long. They were so sweet and succulent that I swore them to be my favorite fruit. I was hooked on guavas for some time after that until I got reacquainted with our own valley peaches and nectarines. One of the funny things that happened on this trip (although it wasn’t too funny to me at the time), we rented a condominium and I had purchased a roll of aluminum foil for cooking and when I was packing to come home I naturally tossed it in my suitcase not thinking anything of it…BIG MISTAKE. The officials at the Maui airport “discovered” my foil and searched all through my suitcase and then pulled me aside and had a female official search me and then to top it off, they exchanged my flight ticket with another one and made me board the airplane ahead of everyone else. My family thought it was quite funny and when I stood up in the airplane to take pictures, my husband told me to sit down because I had caused enough trouble…needless to say, I was very embarrassed. Hope you've enjoyed the catchy little beat...makes me want to do the hula dance!

far away fridays

Thanks Kimberly for coming up with this great idea to share favorite places we have traveled and places we would like to go. I put together this little album of our vacation in 2003 when we followed Route 66 and made a big loop to see the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and then on to Vegas baby! ...well, these pictures are of Bryce Canyon...probably old news to those of you who live in Arizona, but beautiful nonetheless...we had such a fun time on this trip and experienced every type of weather imaginable...good memories. Enjoy!