whatever

Miami off road trails-

 

Friday night we decided that we were going to take "Razor" out for a little off road fun on Saturday.....Danny and I thought it would be fun just the two of us to get away for a day to ourselves.

So, I packed a lunch-

Using some left over paper items from the Vintage Spring Sorbet-

Lunch

• Chicken salad sandwiches
• Red Velvet cake stacks in a mason jar
• Fruit

Loaded up the back of "Razor" and headed off the road.

Most of the trails looked like this....lots of bumps and turns and a few  obstacles...like these.

We just barely fit under it.

Most of the drive was just beautiful scenery.

We found a quiet little grove of trees and had a wonderful picnic.

 I think "Razor" quite enjoyed getting off road and dirty.

We saw streams and waterfalls, dogwood blooming, snow flowers, and lots of manzanita blooming. I didn't know they had a pretty pink blossom.

We so enjoyed our day....prefect little date not far from home.

Hite Cove

We have been wanting to  hike Hite cove for about 8 years now....and what do we do?....decide to hike it around 5pm....we kind of roll that way.

After Sandi and Steve unload their truck {stuff for the Spring Event}  we headed out for our hike.

We wanted to see what the wildflowers were up to....of course they were a little shy and closing up for the day....but still pretty.

Here's a little look at our hike.

Hazards:  The first mile and a half of the trail winds along the hillside about a hundred feet above the river.( about what we hiked, before we headed back...didn't want to walk the trail in the dark)  There are spots, however, where the drop off is sheer enough that a fall could kill you. =) 

Pretty easy hike....we did it with-

1. My recovering knee
2. Sandi's broken toe

We are tuff that way...we come from Pioneer stock. =)

Crossed over Creeks, Streams and Bubbling Brooks...  =)

Awesome Steve.  =)

We stopped here and had dinner- peanut butter sandwiches, Nutri Grain bars and water {remember we are still rolling last minute style.}

We want to go back and hike the whole trail....around 4 miles in.....and do it during the day light hours when the poppies are opened.  =)

Happy Day

Note to self-

You'll find lots of poison oak here,  few lots of mosquitoes....for our next hike remember to take mosquito repellent and anti bacterial wipes (porta potty your only option....if you are a girl that is}

Dan, Teresa and Sandi in this shot....can you find us?

 

 Linking this up with "lets go on a date" 

 

 

Mapping our Journey together-

Dan and I have come to a point in our life together where it's a little  hard to find the perfect gifts for each other.  I find that I want to give Dan things that have a little bit more meaning.   Hence....my Valentines gift to Danny-  I call it our "Mapping our Journey together scrapbook"  I saw an idea something like this over at How does she.  I tweaked their idea a little and came up with something that would work for Dan and I.

I Love this little book- it is made of leather and vintage papers.  So stunning....smells wonderful!

Each time Dan and I go on a little adventure I plan to add the details about the trip in here.

Our first little adventure- along with what we liked about the site. {I put a little heart over the area where we stayed.}

On the page before the pictures- I left a space for each of us to write a little  romantic note to each other....I already did mine.....Danny will add his below mine.

I love this little book with its vintage papers- can't wait to fill them up with our adventures and love notes to each other.

It's the little things given with a big heart that make a marriage wonderful.

Happy Day.

 

Leather book from- Medievaljourney.etsy.com

Tracey's Maiden Voyage-

Friday we finally took Tracey on her first camping trip.  Dan worked until noon and then we headed on our way.   Sam covered for Dan at work....  Happy Day

We decided for our first trip to stay pretty close to home {for two reasons- my knee and we are new at this camping trailer thing. =)

We have been slowly stocking Tracey with everything we thought we might need- so leaving on short notice wouldn't be hard { we are short notice kind of people} all we needed to do was to get food. 

Danny took care of everything...all I needed to do was hop in the truck....and I mean that literally =)

 

{wild crazy beach hair...sorry.}

 Us with smiles on our faces....we had a awesome smooth set up.   We had reserved site number 27 at Sunset State beach.....and were bummed when we got there and the ranger made a mistake and gave it to someone else.....she said she would go talk to them and have them move....but we didn't want  the other people to have to go through that.....she then said go pick out any site we wanted.....so, that's what we did.  

We were super happy she had given our site away....the one we picked was awesome!  {thank-you ranger lady for making a mistake.}

The best one in camp.   Number 19 is going in our "Tracey Romantic camp book"  {which is a whole other post....For Valentines day I bought a vintage leather book with  vintage papers in it....{ it looks like it came  from Indiana Jones movie} Every time we go camping I plan to make a scrapbook page about it and it will go in our Romantic camp book- more on that later.  =)

The set up- Awesome!  I decided that Tracey...being the cute lady that she is...needed to have a couple banners so... everyone that saw her would know how much she is loved. =}

Inside Tracey- {We call  her Tracey because we liked that name better than the one her birth mom gave her- Tracer.  =)

One Queen size bed- Private bath with walk in large shower.  The dinning area makes into another queen size bed...good for when we take the Grand-kids.

{my only complaint about Tracey....and it is not her fault....but really guys...brown, tan & blue with wallpaper are the only options you give people to pick from.... and truly are swirls, dolphins and tigers the only things you can think of to put on the outside?  ..I have tons of ideas for you...call me =)

I think that is why so many people love vintage trailers....at least they have character....if we find we like camping this way....our next baby will be an airstream...please don't tell Tracey}

Our Camp Site-

After everything was set up- we walked the short distance to the beach- sat there for a few hours- talking and waiting for the sun to go down.

 

Beautiful evening together.

Just before we left Danny called Steve and told him what we were doing and said...Hey, if you want come on down and spend the evening with us.....Steve decided to "Tent" it.  {Sandi was at work and didn't know what was going on....sorry Sandi.}   They showed up around 9pm.....and we had a wonderful evening together.

Stayed up until 2am talking and eating pink bunny rabbit smores.

Time for bed....Everything went well with  Tracey...but we couldn't figure out how to get the heater to work....so, it was a little cold.....I thought, man If I'm Cold Sandi and Steve must be freezing!  They said they did fine....I think they were just being nice.  First thing in the morning Danny got the heater to work- so Sandi and I stayed in Tracey while the guys made breakfast for us.

Also that morning, Sandi and I took a short walk up the hill to watch the ocean and the new morning light.

After the guys finished up breakfast - we headed out for a short, slow walk- thanks to my knee...but I'm doing great- I never thought I would recover this fast.  {Still tender but hey, I can walk.}

It was a beautiful morning { we had to be out of our camp site by noon} the weather was fabulous mid 70's ....

We spent the rest of the day checking out future camp sites and exploring.

I would have to say that Tracey's maiden Voyage was fabulous.

Happy Day

Even though we don't live here....we come to this area enough for me to call it home.

linking up with designmom today for her new series- Love the place you live.

Also linking this up with Shannon's  "Lets go on a date"

 

From the Redwoods to the Beach....Date

Spectacular day- in the middle of the awe-inspiring ancient coast redwoods close to 300 feet tall and 50 feet in circumference.  Our date started with a drive to Big Basin Redwoods- in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  This place has spectacular views - we started with a picnic and then on to a short walk in the Redwoods. {because of my wimpy knee.....but next time we are planning on the sky line coastal hike....after surgery and when my knee is better.}

Here's a little look at our picnic in the Redwoods-

We loved all the beautiful colors- and the weather was perfect; slightly chilly with the sun shining  but no wind.

So many hikes to pick from- from spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, lush waterfalls, and fascinating natural wonders.

We choose to take the easy hike- like I said, because of my knee- sorry guys.

-Sharing the beauty of our hike-

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

--Albert Einstein

After our hike we decided to check out the camp sites-

Lots of beautiful camping places for RV's - camp tents and camp cabins.

“Curiosity is an important trait of a genius" - Albert Einstein

Just checking out the camp cabins- not bad, kind of cute- each with it's very own wood burning stove.

Time to head to our next destination- the Beach......stopped at a local Diary Freeze- so Steve could reminisce - His Father owned one when he was a child.....we shared milk shakes and watched all the bikers head up the tail- even talked to one guy who had biked 90 miles that day- Wow!

-The Beach-

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

We walked the boardwalk then the beach.

Watching the day come to an end- soft, calm and lovely.

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."--e.e. cummings

 

I agree- Happy Day.

linking this post up with Shannon's date  link up. 

Date Night-

Come join the fun- A place to link up your Date Night ideas 

What I shared- Find the Adventure- Progressive Date Night

Happy Day

Find the Adventure- Progressive Date Night-

There lives in each of us {I believe} a secret quest- an undying passion for adventure.

Find the Adventure-

Sandi and Steve came by Saturday for a little visit.....Sandi and I were planning to work on a few Spring Event items, but alas... Adventure was calling.

How it started.....

with a fabulous lunch brought to us by Sandi and Steven- great soup and sandwiches from Fernando's Bistro.  At lunch we were talking about what would be fun to do today.  We finally decided to just get in the car and just head out..... to "Find the Adventure."

Our First stop-

A rock monument on the side of the road-  You know the kind....that have a plaque on them telling you about something in history- this one was about a bridge....nothing too exciting....no adventure waiting  there.

Second Stop-

CHÂTEAU du SUREAU or Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant- Dan and I had eaten there before and toured the Chateau and were telling Sandi and Steve about....so we thought we would stop by so they could see the place.  We weren't planning to dine- { a meal for two can run upwards and over $300, so we will be saving this place for a special night.} just wanted to walk the grounds  and maybe see if Sandi and Steve could get a look at a couple of their fabulous rooms-....They Have a "Villa Sureau" that run $2,950.00 per night- but hey, with that comes a library and 24 hour butler service. =)

The guys dropped us at the door- to see if we could sweet talk our way into a tour....but the minute we walked in.....we were greeted with... Are you with the wedding party?   We were truthful stupid and said no...Just image the adventure we could of had at that wedding.

 {A wedding party had rented the whole place...holy cow! so no tour.}

They were nice to us and gave us a pamphlet telling us about other people's adventures- using words like- small magical castle, fairy-tale beauty, calming luxury...It evoked fond memories of our visits to Provence...

Thank you very much.

We tried to peek past the curtains to get a look at the wedding....but that didn't happen- we did how- ever have a good laugh about what if--- we did crash the wedding......

Still no adventure.

Third Stop-

Sugar pine Railroad-  we thought it would be fun and adventurous to take a night train ride through the pines and fall colored trees, all the while stream from the locomotive was blowing in our hair. {the men were so kind as to offer up their jackets so we would be warm....seeing as we didn't think we would be riding a train in the cold night air when we left the house.}

We pull off the road to enter the area...only to get stopped 20 feet off the road by a wire cable across the road- yep...closed......no adventure here.

Fourth Stop-

By now we needed to use the restroom- so we just pulled off at the next exit- Tenaya Lodge to run in and use the restrooms-

But wait...could this be our Adventure?  So we decided to "make like guests" and have some fun-

• First, checked out all the little shops at the Lodge.
• Second, enjoyed the warm and "toast-ie" fireplace.
• Third, go to the restaurant and order only desserts. Had an apple pie to die for. 
• Fourth, get Hot chocolate to go, so you look like you belong there as you wander around the Lodge-
• Fifth- opportunity to crash another wedding...but we resisted. 

Sandi and I enjoying our Hot Chocolate in front of the warm beautiful fire-

Ice skating anyone?

I loved the carriage lights and the beamed ceiling.

We wandered the Lodge a little bit more.....then decided to talk to the concierge- watched a slide show about Frazil Ice- cool scary.

 

 

Now that would be an adventure to be there in person!

The concierge was so super nice, she spent about 20 minutes with us and gave us all kinds of fun and interesting things to do on a future visit- how fun was that? =)  I see a sleigh ride in our future. 

When we left the lodge- both Sandi and I agreed we felt like we had just gone on a mini vacation.

Fifth Stop-

Savoury's Restaurant-   yes, one more restaurant.  We so enjoy this place; we decided to have appetizer's, soup and  dessert to share.

• Veggie Stacked Portobello
• Bacon Wrapped Dates
• Red Pepper Hummus  with crackers
• Bread pudding
• Chocolate pie
• Veg. sausage soup.

Wonderful setting ; Steve's only disappointment....no fireplace.... =)

Did we find our adventure?

 Yes,  we realized that adventure is everywhere.... waiting patiently to be unmasked.

Happy Day, on to the next Adventure. {smile}

Linking with others Date Night

 

 

 

 

 

Straight to you-

Had such a fun evening- Steve, Sandi, Dan and me =)  Went to Sacramento to see Josh Groban "Straight to you tour".

 

The cute shoes that Sandi wore....and the amazing stage. So interesting how they made it change just with light through out the concert.

 
 
For half of the show he performed on a stage in the middle of the arena- at one point he took questions from the audience.....{they had us text our question to him earlier} one was from a young women, who asked if she could sing with him on stage.  Sandi and I were a little worried for her...kind of like her Mom would be....just wanted her to be awesome.....was thinking it would be so cool if she could really sing well....Josh got her up on stage and then asked her what she wanted to sing....she replied anything.  {we could tell that Josh was a little worried for her....you could tell he didn't want to embarrass her, just in case she wasn't good....so they sang Happy Birthday to a women in the audience....Oh my goodness, brought the house down....she could sing really well...I think it totally surprised Josh.....but how fun for her....getting to sing with Josh.....Awesome! 
 
Josh sang for over 2 hours...so awesome! 

Truly couldn't ask for a better way to spend an evening---  friends and awesome concert!