Pacific Grove Picnic

View of the Pacific Ocean from our picnic table.

Stranger under the purple tree in Monterey.

I wonder just how often this Pacific Grove home gets photographed; it was directly across the street from the ocean picnic area where we lunched on that exquisite French food from the Paris Bakery. I still drool just thinking about that food!

Rach eating her cookie from the Paris Bakery. She is sweet but also addicted to sweets. It is interesting that Naomi can say, momma, dada and Rachael but not Sean and or course definitely not grandma.

Naomi was not too happy being in the stroller; she wanted to look in the pond too!

Pacific Grove is just west of Monterey and in fact, they merge together so that you don't know when you leave one city and enter the other unless you see a sign.

Path of History

After a scrumptious lunch at the Greek Fest, we did a walking tour of Old Monterey.

Following the old brick road, we found these little golden round plaques within the walking path - every couple of feet, there was another plaque in a different language.

Wisteria gone wild - within an enclosed garden area that also contained a charming fountain. 

Wisteria covered the entire westside of the private garden.

Pacific House with the wonderful enclosed courtyard was a delight.

A pond with fish and water lilies.

Don't you just love water lilies? My daughter ended up in the pond too!

My granddaughter had to touch the water with her peek a boo knees. She and her brother are rough tumblers. This fountain was in another area of the grand old section of Montery.

I think that this is called a butterfly bush. Rachael and Sean posed for me holding on to their water bottles for dear life.

Another strange looking tree but the est part of the photo are my grandchildren.

Little Bliss List for September

What's behind the green door?

1. Green Door keeps rambling behind in my mind but I can't remember all of the lyrics.  I just remember what's behind the green door and someone trying to get in.

2. I am ready to take off for Poland.  Some days I feel that I might just jump on a plane and fly to Poland without signing up for any tour. I am also thinking of going on a cruise at Thanksgiving with the rest of the singles.

3. My cats are jumping for joy to have me home and to be able to go outside again. Abbie loves the outdoors so she spends most of her day outside.  I taught her not to go out at night where Mr. Grey and White Meany can beat her up and Mr. Largo Orange walks the neighborhood looking for a fight. They would make great pals with Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green and Scarlett.

3. I am slowly getting back to making jewelry.  I have an order for bridesmaids for a wedding. We have finalized the design of the bracelets to go with the earrings. 

4. We've had very nice weather in the low 80's for two weeks now. More of my tomatoes are turning red - just enough for fresh cut tomatoes in salads. I made six half pints of rhubarb freezer jam (some with strawberries and some with cherries).  I gotta admit the strawberries really give them the best flavor.

5. Abbie brought me a present and left it on the back step. Thank heavens she didn't get it in the house! A neighbor told me that we had lizards close by but this is the first time I've seen one in 17 years.

 Liv Lane's Little Bliss List for Friday doesn't seem to be up; she might be taking break.

Greek Fest

The Greek Fest was held outside in a historic part of Monterey where old buildings have been turned into museums near a walking tour of old Monterey. Going to a Greek Fest is one of my favorite occasions because of the delicious food, the glorious pastries and Greek dancing.

A group of dancers entertaining in their costumes at Monterey.

I enjoyed this event but I had to compare it to the Greek Fest that is held annually in Salt Lake City.  There is a much larger population of Greek participants in Salt Lake and so, therefore, they have a larger variety of food, of the anticipated melt in your mouth pastries and dancers. The SLC Greek Orthodox Church has a large youth program which include the Goya Dancers from ages 15 to 21 and junior Goya Dancers - ages 10 to 14.  There is public dancing as well.

Greek Fest in SLC with the men wearing skirts and pom poms on their special Greek shoes. Let me tell you, those guys can dance!

Senior Goya Dancers

Junior Goya Dancers

I even danced with some folk dancers at the Greek fest in Monterey under the blue sky only a block from the deep blue ocean.  It was a perfect day not being too hot nor too cold - just above 70 degrees F. 

I read in the Salt Lake Deseret News that over 50,000 people attended the Greek Fest this year.  I was too tired to even attempt to go after I got back.  I needed a week to recoup from my month long trip.

Kataifi (left upper corner - its like a gigantic Nabisco shredded wheat only this one has sweet sauce and nuts on the bottom - yum!) Powdered sugar shortbread cookie - Kourabiethes (koo-rah-BYEH-thes)

Baklava is the triangle.  It is probably the best of the bunch

except for the honey soaked doughnut holes.

You get a better deal in SLC, the prices are lower than in California. Of course, everything is more expensive in California.

Beach Walks

While exploring Carmel, my daughter and I came upon the beautiful blue Carmel River which flows down into the Pacific Ocean.  It is a delightful area in which the kids can play and very well hidden with extremely limited parking. 

Another day we took a walk on the walking bike path. That's my grandson Sean, granddaughters Rachael and Naomi getting sand in every nook and crevice to take home. Naomi even had a sand ring just inside the rim of her diaper.  Perhaps, if my daughter dressed Naomi in dresses more often, she would look more like a girl but who is going to put a little boy in purple and pink Crocs? 

I have never seen an 18-month old toddler walk up and down stairs by herself before;  she wants to do everything that her brother and sister does. She just balances herself on the wall below the railing using those short little legs to step up one at a time - all 35 steps. I began to count each step as we walked down together every day and by golly, she was saying one, two, three with two being the easier word because she knows shoes really well.  She loves to go in the car and puts on those colorful Crocs all by herself.

It always seems to be windy by the ocean; this was our view as we walked on a biking trail of asphalt even with a line going down the middle so that you wouldn't get run over by bikers, skate boarders and strollers. A flock of pelicans flew by us but I was not fast enough to get a photo of them. 

Fried Cheesecake

Santa Cruz

Our afternoon at Santa Cruz with not a cloud in the sky was fabulous.  We had lunch there - nothing to really shout about but we did spring for a fried cheesecake.  Normally, I would never

have touched the stuff but my daughter wanted to try it out.

They take cheesecake, batter it up and deep fat fry it.  It really was delicious but I am sure that my arteries are still trying to adjust back to normal.

Found parking across the street and a very friendly lady told us  that if we spent a dollar for arcade coins that we could use them in the meter and it would be much cheaper parking. We did and she was right.

The sky was so blue that I thought I was back in Utah only we don't have palm trees in Utah.

Grandma, what is this stuff getting into my purple shoes that I can put on by myself?

Okay grandma, get up and take me back out onto

the sand stuff that seeps into our shoes! 

I thought

that these were my skinny jeans.

Patterns of Light

A beautiful message is found on youtube below:

Patterns of Light

Little Bliss List - Nice Weather

1. Perhaps we will have an Indian Summer - warm days and cool evenings. I'll keep my fingers crossed; anything to keep the storms at bay and the barometer steady.

2. I made a very tasty rhubarb and pineapple pie - a first.  I probably would not have tried it with pineapple but that is what I had available in the pantry. I am not a pie maker and I learned from just making one.

3. I made eight miniature Spelt loafs and one regular loaf of Spelt bread.  Not bad for a first - I ran out of Spelt flour so I added a cup of tapioca flour and 1/2 cup of oatmeal. It actually rose and tasted every bit as good as what I usually buy at the grocery store.

4. I sold one pair of light purple jade earrings since I returned home and have one special earring order to fill. I was sad to sell my purple jade earrings because I was secretly thinking I might keep them for myself.  Oh well, I'll see what I can find at the gem show this weekend.

5. In the last week in California we have many adventures together and took a walk along the bike/walking trail along the ocean.

I enjoy connecting with Liv Lane's Little Bliss List on Friday. Hop on over and take a look.

DUP Museum Bags

The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers are back in session. We meet once a month and learn about the pioneers and have a luncheon in which members take turns bringing the food. I signed up for January so I have a lot of time before I create something scrumptious with my partner.

Amelia Roberts worn this white cotton bag worn under a skirt. They were called girdle bags. Some say they had slits in their skirt so they could get to their bag without having to life all those heavy skirts.

Alice Irwin wore this detachable pocket bag on a belt under her dress.  These bags and purses were all handmade; photos and information came from the International DUP in Salt Lake City. These bags and other ones are all on display there.

This handbag was crocheted with white silk thread by Louise Roundy when she was 85 years old from a pattern called the Irish Rose and Ball. It has a cream-colored messaline (soft light weight silk) silk lining. I had to look that one up - never heard of messaline before.

1800 coin bag

Catherine Horrocks knitted a coin purse with silver bead trim and little curtain rods. They look like miniature curtain rods to me! It also looks to me like a first knitting project - am I wrong?

During the Victorian era when raw sewage filled the streets, ladies wore their girdle bags and always had a hanky to cover their noses because the smell was beyond description. They say that is why perfume was invented.

Pockets were not invented until 200 years later. They used to make both shoes to fit one side so you can imagine how uncomfortable at least one shoe was. They were definitely not walking shoes.

In the early 1900s the clutch bag was invented and is still popular today. In 1930 they had art deco clutches with Egyptian motifs. I bet they were a knockout. In 1942 when the war started, the shoulder bag came on the scene. Now, that is my favorite bag.

We all need something in which to carry our stuff! 

Hills of Carmel

If you look in the upper left hand corner, bits of moss drape gracefully from the tree. This lovely quaint unique stone home (the sign on the gate read "The House by the Side of the Road")  was toward the top of Carmel hill overlooking the magnificent blue ocean. The road had narrowed to a one lane with pull out areas every so often.  In Utah we call those cow trails only ours are not paved but are ruts of whitish grey dirt. You would never find moss hanging from any tree in Utah, we are too too dry here.

More moss in trees - this was close to the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula.  It was fascinating to me to see all that moss.

This was the view from the house with the angels protecting their property.

Each home on the hill had their own splendid view of the ocean. Can you imagine watching a fog come rolling in off the ocean?

Paris Bakery & Cafe

Taken from the Paris Bakery & Cafe of Monterey website

All of the photos were taken from their website: Paris Bakery & Cafe of Monterey.

I am still drooling over the lunch that we had in Monterey the day before I left. Did I take photos of our food - no, of course not, I forgot.  I was too anxious to try out the delicacies that we had chosen.  I thought we had dropped out of the US and landed in Paris. My mouth is still watering thinking about the most exquisite quiche that I have ever eaten and from the pastries that melted in my mouth.  

They had a large variety of quiches.

I don't want to even think about all those calories - I just enjoyed the moment for a lunch on the beach watching the ever mesmerizing ocean waves flow in.

Talk about a display of goodies - it took my breath away. So many to choose from!

Anyone in the mood for a tuxedo cake?

We tried the top two on the left side.

Beware

Puff was a short-haired little yellow cat. I found her one day out by where I worked.  Someone had abused her and abandoned her so I took her home.  She was very mild mannered. I always thought that her growth had been stunted because of abuse and she also had a bend in her tail but we gave her a loving home.

One day my neighbor came over to my backyard and she literally attacked him.  I have no idea what set her off but maybe it was a memory from the past. She never attacked anyone else.

Blissful to be Home

I am back to my old routine and trying to get my back feeling good again. Saw my chiropractor this bright sunny morning for an adjustment after a half hour of ooh ouch water aerobics.  I haven't been for a month so every move seem to be sore before I even did it!

After this reminder in Vegas, my trip home was a snap compared to the flight to California which seemed like a disaster.  Rocco Piganelli was the flight attendant that filled my soul with laughter.  Curly headed Rocco with frosted silver hair kept us belly laughing all the way to Salt Lake City and said the flight then continued to Kaula Lumpur. (Where was that - did no one else hear it?) 

Age does not seem to be an issue for hiring flight attendants!

Rocco said in a delightful voice, "we will be serving lobster and Porterhouse Steak in first class and in second class, hamburger helper." Most heard that especially since there was no first class unless it was hidden behind that invisible wall. Demonstrating the buckle to fasten your seat belts, he said, "if you don't know how to fasten and unfasten your seat belts by now, you don't get out enough!"

I'd like to take him home just to keep me laughing!

It is so good to be home - an entire month is too long to be away from home.  My cats were all cuddly and giving me kisses with those sandpaper tongues.

I like to connect to the Little Bliss List of Liv Lane.

Pacific Coastal Views

The last place I would want to be while

driving would be Highway 1 during

a dense fog or storm.

The local TV stations are always showing

this bridge on their weather forecasts.

It drops down to the ocean floor dramatically.

I used a full zoom on my camera

for a closer look at the magnificent ocean.
Just to the south of here is Big Sur - I originally
thought it was a surfing area. Wrong - the area
was named by the Spanish meaning the big
mountain area of the south.

Looking north from the bridge was a cave.

Deer seem to thrive here regardless of

man, his cars and technology.

This deer was visiting next door to the

church on Sunday.

Soon it will be the end of my visit to
Monterey.  It is a bitter sweet feeling
because I will miss the little ones
but my back is killing me and I need
to see my chiropractor. 

Shopping day.

We spent an afternoon at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz.
It was a glorious sunny day with the temperature
at 85 degrees F. The sand was lusciously warm and deep
to walk on.

The coconut grove was next to this old building which was

built in the early 1900s. At least 10 of these resort

areas were built around the same time in the west and one of

them was built next to the Great Salt Lake called "Saltair."

That was back in my grandparent's day - they used

to ride a train out to Saltair and go to dances and

ride roller coasters having a grand ole time.