A Beach in Pacifica with Taco Bell

In Pacifica, CA there is a beach known as Linda Mar. At said beach you can find surfing opportunities, hiking trails, sunbathers, and…a Taco Bell. Yep. That’s what the building in the distance is in this image. It’s been recently refurbished, too. Where else can you have some inexpensive tacos while you watch folks surfing? It’s nice and warm in there on a cold day, too.

If you need more warming, there is a Starbucks in the strip mall diagonally across the street. The Starbucks in question has a rather nice seating area near a fireplace…but no view of the ocean.

This Sign is Hazardous

This sign full of warning is above Rodeo Beach, which lurks not all that far from the Golden Gate Bridge. Does anyone else get the feeling that the sign will laugh at you if, by chance, you happen to be putting a sticker on it and lose your footing? Just me again? Ah well. You get the point. At least the view is nice, even if it might be hazardous to view it up close.

Dori’s Tea Cottage, Groveland, CA

Last year, for my birthday, my husband and mother-in-law took me to this lovely little tea place in Groveland, CA. (It’s not that far from Yosemite, in case you were wondering.) Dori’s Tea Cottage is a splendid little place that, quite frankly, smells divine. How can you go wrong with a place that smells of baking scones? Just typing about it is making my hungry. Yes, I love having a nice Tea with sandwiches and all of that. If you were to ask my family, they’d tell you that “like” is in no way a strong enough word to describe my love of Tea. I may possibly have several cookbooks on the topic of said meal…and a collection of teapots. But that is neither here nor there. Dori’s Tea Cottage is well worth a stop if you happen to be in town. The food it yummy. The service is good. And just look how cute their sign is.

I rest my case.

I Heart Pescadero Beach?

California seems to have quite a rich trove of beach art. I was over at Pescadero Beach over the weekend, and instead of the usual driftwood sculpture I encountered the seaweed heart above. I didn’t actually see any driftwood during this trip, so perhaps it congregates a bit further up the coast. Who knows? Anyway, if you look carefully, you can see something written in the sand in the middle of the heart. I can’t make it out. Anyone?

Half Moon Beach

I took this photo one of the first times we went out to the Miramar Restaurant in Half Moon Bay. It’s quite a romantic place where you can watch the sun set over the sea. It is perhaps best not to end up seated near two drunk people talking loudly about their love lives, though. Tends to be a bit distracting as you can imagine.

The beach itself, which is mostly to the right of the restaurant as you face the sea, is lovely. My husband got some really interesting shots of the waves, and also of a friendly dog who thought that his camera was fascinating. The sand on this beach is very fine, as you can see in the photo above. As it is blown about by the wind it comes to almost mirror the ocean waves.

A Storm in Kauai

Last November we visited friends in Kauai…and this massive storm blew up. This led me to finally posting something to YouTube using my phone. Necessity is the mother of invention and all that. And this was no wee storm. Hanalei Valley turned into Hanalei Lake.

Luckily our friends lived on high ground…but it was quite the experience.

The Door to Nowhere

The “Door to Nowhere” is located in the wall of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA. You’re bound to have heard of it. Construction went on night and day for 38 years and the labyrinthine building includes stairs that go up to the ceiling, upside down columns, and parts of the house that were completely blocked off. Nowadays, it’s located right near a freeway, a cinema, and a mall. I don’t think that Mrs. Winchester would have approved.

The last time I visited the house I was interested to note that all talk of the place being currently haunted had disappeared from the tour, though the whole “spooky haunted house” thing is still played up on the website. Curious. Very curious. No photography allowed in the house, by the way, though you may photograph the exterior as much as you like. There is a cafe of sorts if you get hungry, and a really fun gift shop. Yes, it’s a tourist trap…but I like it anyway.

San Gregorio State Beach with Driftwood Sculpture

Driftwood sculpture seems to be quite the art form on many Northern California beaches. I’ve never seen it in action, mind you…I’ve only seen the results. Sometimes encountering these sculptures when no one else is in sight gives you the eerie feeling that you’re stuck in some sort of post-apocalyptic world. Especially when the lighting is as strangely soft as it was on this day on San Gregorio State Beach. (Please note that there is a fee for visiting this particular beach. The little guard station is not always staffed, however. *ahem*)

Hearst Castle: Indoor Pool

This is a pool in which I will never swim. Which is too bad, as swimming is one of the few things that I do well. The problem here is that this is the lovely indoor pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA. They like to keep their pools pristine for visitors to look at there, so no swimming allowed. If you want to hold a special event at the castle just be aware that it costs $10,000 for a group of up to fifty guests for three hours. These special events do not involve swimming, though you do get a tour.

An Obelisk at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

One of the really cool things about the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, CA is the grounds surrounding it. There are all sorts of interesting things to look at, such as the obelisk shown above, nice shady places to sit (and some not so shady spots), and all sorts of picnic possibilities. This is important to note, as the nearest restaurant (the Italian place diagonally across the street) was not open when we were there. The Starbucks (across the street) was open, but it’s not really a lunch place. They don’t sell food in the museum and you aren’t even allowed to bring in water with you. So, eat before you go, or pack a picnic lunch.