You know that feeling of entering someone’s house, being greeted by the host or hostess? Or how wonderful it is to welcome someone into your home? Pulling into the Grizzly Mini Mart & Gas in Mariposa, California, 30 miles from Yosemite National Park, my husband and I were met by…
I read a quote that said “The reason why you feel so connected to your pets is because they were originally meant to be your children but there were no human bodies available when they incarnated so they came through in the form they could, just to be near you…
Arriving in Santa Cruz, California in the early evening we found a hotel for he night, asking the gentleman at the front desk for a dinner recommendation. On the way to the restaurant we drove around a little, passing the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with its roller coaster and ferris…
As I got ready for the day in the darkness of 5 am, I opened my jewelry box to retrieve my wedding rings which I never wear at home. Choosing some simple stud earrings, I considered a ring for my right hand. I wanted to be as unencumbered as possible…
The SS Palo Alto was a concrete ship built as a tanker in 1919 during World War I. An unconventional shipbuilding material, concrete was used due to the steel shortage. She never served as the war ended before her construction was finished. On her maiden and only voyage in 1929…
Born and raised a Philadelphia Phillies fan, I was in elementary school when the Phanatic moved from the Galápagos Islands to become the mascot for the team in 1978. Many people have pointed out that Piper has the same coloring as the Phanatic, green feathers with blue on their heads….
As my husband and I reconnected with the Pacific Coast Highway in California after landing in San Francisco and going to Yosemite where we spent a few days, we began our long, exciting journey south. One of the first sights on the itinerary I had created was Shark Fin Cove,…
Very good friends of mine, a married couple, attended a wedding one afternoon, a funeral the following morning. I am sure that this happens more often than we think but when my friend told me that she and her husband were going to be present at these back-to-back events I…
One of the stops my husband and I wanted to make during our California adventure was the Santa Barbara Courthouse. While doing research for the trip I discovered that you can go to the tower atop the building and get a 360 degree view of the city. Also, there is…
Muir Woods National Monument is located a half hour north of San Francisco in Mill Valley, California. Established in 1908, it is named for conservationist John Muir. I will initially describe this place in one word: REDWOODS. More park than monument, once you set out on the path, you almost…
