san juan capistrano

Jesse and I enjoyed a mini staycation this weekend. It involved all the good stuff: yoga in the park (that was new), dog park visits, brunch, walks on the beach, shopping on Main Street, and some mini day trips. We avoided all the bad stuff: laundry, cleaning, and grocery-shopping (this week will be fun...).

On Saturday, we took a little trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano, a place I have been wanting to visit for a while. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, and much of the drive had great scenery. The mission was founded in 1776 and includes a pretty little chapel, which is the only church remaining where Junipero Serra (founder of the California missions) officiated. The ruins of the "great stone church," which was mostly destroyed in the earthquake of 1812, are also very pretty. There were lots and lots of beautiful flowers, and some nice fountains and bells too.

On our way home, we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway through Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, stopping at Huntington Beach just in time for sunset. We'd never been there before and were surprised to see so many fire pits, so we'll definitely have to go back and have a campfire someday.

art day in pasadena

Lately, I've been really geeking out over my new Museum Companion to Los Angeles: A Guide to Museums, Historic Houses, Libraries, Special Collections, Botanical Gardens and Zoos in Los Angeles County. (That book was written for me.) I've been dreaming up little day trips in various regions, and a couple weeks ago we took one to Pasadena. We tried a new cafe for lunch, and then went to see the Gamble House and the Norton Simon Museum. The weather was pretty ugly, but the sites were great.


The Gamble House was built in the arts and crafts style by famous architects Greene and Greene, who designed not just the home, but the landscaping and furniture as well. I love checking out famous architectural homes. And I especially like ones (like this one) that focus on the integration of the interior and exterior and the connection between aesthetics and functionality.





The Norton Simon Museum is a perfect size. We were only there an hour and a half or so, but it was enough time for a cursory tour of all the galleries and a more thorough viewing of the ones we really liked. Highlights: SO many Degas sculptures, a nicely designed gallery for SE Asian art, and a good book shop.

palos verdes excursion

Jesse and I took a drive down the coast today with our new MINI. Our final destination was Palos Verdes Drive and the Wayfarers' Chapel (about 45 minutes to an hour south), but we enjoyed a lot of the other coastal towns and sites along the way.

This is Malaga Cove - a nice, quiet, secluded beach.

This is at Point Vicente Fishing Access (although I didn't see any fishing going on).

This is Abalone Cove, where we went tidepooling. Of the coastal spots we stopped at, this was definitely my favorite.

I was so excited to check out the tidepools. I've been wanting to do this for a long time - long before we moved to California.

Sea anemones!

More!

Jesse looking for sea creatures.

Waves crashing at Abalone Cove.

View of Portuguese Point from Wayfarers' Chapel.

This is Wayfarers' Chapel, which was designed by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) and built in 1951.

The interior of Wayfarers' Chapel.

Wayfarers' Chapel tower.

two trips to santa barbara

One of the first things that had me excited when Jesse and I decided to move to California was the idea of being able to visit (within reasonable driving distance) all sorts of new places that had previously felt so far away. Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Napa Valley were all places that came to mind. Of course, now that I am here, there are so many more places that I am excited to visit, and one of those was Santa Barbara. Jesse and I went to Santa Barbara for our anniversary in January, and I went again this past weekend with girlfriends from college. It's only an hour and a half to two hours drive from Santa Monica, with stunning scenery the whole way. The town is really pleasant with lots of Spanish-style architecture situated in beautiful natural surroundings - the ocean to the west and rolling wine country to the east. Both trips were great. Although I like walking around the town, one of my favorite parts of both trips was having a picnic lunch at a winery in the Santa Ynez area.

The drive up the Pacific Coast Highway is truly lovely. It was definitely greener and more flowery this time than two months ago.

The historic courthouse in downtown.

The view from the courthouse tower across red tile roofs to the ocean.The inside of the chapel at the original fort.Nicole and Sarah wine-tasting at Gainey Vineyards.At Gainey Vineyards, where Nicole, Sarah, and I sat outside and ate a picnic lunch.At Buttonwood Winery in January. Sushi dinner in downtown Santa Barbara with Nicole and Sarah.