Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Marcy's Travel Blog- Beautiful Carpinteria - I've Arrived!




I'm here in beautiful Carpinteria, California! Yesterday was one of traveling, a bit of exploring, a great home-made meal, and being totally pampered!





I have to say, I hardly got to sleep the night before yesterday's flight! (Being a former flight attendant, you would think that travel would be "no big deal", but for me, it's always exciting!) Since I travel on standby, it's always iffy as to whether there will be a seat available or not, but I received a great seat assignment right away! Except for the long wait for de-icing, the flight was pleasant and uneventful.



My view behind the driver's seat



Once in Los Angeles, I boarded the Airbus bus service to Carpinteria. My driver's name was Steve. He made the 2 1/2 drive a wonderful experience by informing me of the various points of interest along the way.













I had to laugh at myself. Being a mid-westerner, the first 20 pictures I took were of palm trees! (I also still need to learn how to take pictures from a moving vehicle!)













We drove along the coast, with spectacular views of the ocean! Passing through Malibu, I was amazed at how close the homes were to the expressway, and each other, almost looking attached!









My first view of the ocean from the Pacific Coast Highway






A location for the "Bay Watch" t.v. program



Steve pointed out the different places where movies and t.v. shows were filmed. Passing through Ventura, there were fields and fields of freshly planted strawberries.

















My friend Phyllis met me at the bus stop and whisked me away to her lovely condo. Her back patio has cardinals to honor her Midwest upbringing.










Note "Frosty the snow man" !









Her plan was for us to do a bit of hiking and then come home for appetizers and dinner. Since I'm a person who likes to move, rather than sit, a bit of physical activity was just what I needed! A quick change of clothes and off we went, accompanied by her dog, Kenny!














Eucalyptus tree






It was hard to know where to point the camera, there was so much grandeur all around!


















Mountains behind and Ocean in front!  Heaven!





Carpinteria Bluffs and Ocean!






Phyllis and Kenny with Kenny's coat for later.










The sun sets early here, around 4:30-5:00 , so we caught a bit of sunset during our walk.










Back at the condo, Phyllis spoiled me rotten with appitizers, a wonderful meal of pot roast, wine, and a whole lot of pampering!
 
Needless to say, with the combination of little sleep, a long journey, a long walk by the ocean, fresh air, and great food---well, in spite of myself, I fell asleep early! It was a wonderful first day!

Today our plan is to explore Santa Barbara , the Mission, and the harbor! Stay tuned tomorrow to hear all about our adventures!

Just a little side note! The sun is shining!! It's going to be about 65 degrees! The solar panels in my body are HAPPY!





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