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.