CA Roadtrips: Cambria

In April Kato and I took a little weekend road trip up the coast to Cambria, CA.  We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway about 4 hours North of LA.  Cambria is at about the halfway point between LA and San Francisco, along the Central Coast.  The beauty of California with it's varied landscapes never ceases to amaze me--driving 2 hours North of LA will be completely different than driving 2 hours East into the desert.

On Friday we took the long way up the coast for a leisurely drive.  We got to Cambria and took a walk up the coast along the boardwalk.

Perhaps not the best coast for a leisurely dip in warm water, but it's photogenic.

Sweet older couple out for a stroll.  This could be Kato and me in 20 years....OK, maybe 10....OK, maybe not.

We took a drive over to the Paso Robles wine country and did a wine tasting.  The vineyard had this Hummingbird feeder that was quite popular with the locals.

Back in the town of Cambria there were plenty of quaint, colorful shops.

Shops that brought their special kind of small-town quirkiness...

...and their own version of storytelling.

Ummmm....

 This shop had all kinds of interesting rocks, many with organically sculpted shapes.  That will be it's own post as I took plenty of pictures.

 No,no,no, thank YOU for the love.

 Apparently Cambria's totally filled with love.

Our hotel was on Moonstone beach, which is not only known for it's beach glass (I only found 2 tiny pieces in the short time I was looking) but also for it's drift wood.  There were people there collecting pieces--one couple was discussing the artwork they could make from it.

 I wonder what stories these trees could have told.

 We only had a long weekend and there was plenty we didn't get to (like Hearst Castle which is a trip in itself), but I'm sure we'll be back.

Liberty of London

I started this awhile ago--back when I was inspired by the beginnings of Spring--but got super busy with work and now it's almost summer!  Having a textile background, I've always been amazed by the colors and designs--not to mention the quality of the fabric--of Liberty prints.   There are so many beautiful patterns and colorways that I grouped them together in groups of 4 of what I felt enhanced each others designs.  Kind of like a digital patchwork quilt.

 The Liberty of London department store in London not only has fabrics but clothing, accessories and bags, among other things.  I styled an outfit from their website.

Liberty of London.

Adult Beverage of the Month: The Brown Derby

It's about time I get back to posting my A.B.O.M. (Adult Beverage of the Month) series.  Since it's Derby Season, I thought this a perfect opportunity for the Brown Derby--and I love me a good bourbon.  It's an old-school classic, but I'm going to take partial credit if you start seeing this emerge as a trend.  When we go out in L.A. to restaurants we order this drink.  We usually have to tell the waitress or "mixologist" how to make it, but they seem to enjoy coming up with their interpretations.  Let's see if it takes off.

 

Ingredients

Bourbon (my favorite is Basil Hayden)

Grapefruit

Honey

Honey--to make it easier to blend with in the drink, mix about a tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of water.

Grapefruit--squeeze into bowl

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add:

1 part bourbon

1/2 part grapefruit juice

1/4 part honey water (more or less to desirable sweetness)

Shake vigorously and pour into a Martini glass.


Enjoy!

Mom's Orchids

It's my first Mother's Day without my mom.  She had a beautiful orchid collection and I would usually add to that for her Mother's Day gift.  When I visited her for Easter last year many of them were blooming.  I took these pictures.  When I was at the house in Florida last week 2 of these plants are still there and were filled with blooms.  I like to think it was Mom showing me her love.

Matty posing with the orchids.  She is enjoying life at my brother's house now along with her mother.

 Beautiful even with their brown spots.

 

 Her other cat, Marky, is hiding amongst the flowers.  He is now our kitty.  He matches the 2 we already have.

Going through my mother's things last weekend, I found a card I had written to her for Mother's Day when I was living abroad in Venezuela.  It was the first time I had been away from her for so long and I wrote a long letter from the heart.  I realized how lucky I was to be from such a loving family.  I included words to the chorus of a song they were playing:

Madre--la mejor amiga

Madre--la mejor mujer

Mother--the best friend

Morhter--the best woman.

Happy Mother's Day.