Oh Canada!

This morning on Facebook, I shared this link on the Calgary, Canada flooding. The Husband and I lived and worked in Calgary in the late 1990's. I hate to see the devastation they are now experiencing because of the flooding.

We visited Calgary a couple of years ago. I wrote about that trip here and here. 

When we lived there, we spent a lot of weekends in Banff since it was just 1 1/2 hours away. On the drives to and from Banff, I was always on the lookout for wild life. We never saw any animals. I swear, though, just about every weekend in the summer we would return to Calgary and the newspaper would carry a story on Monday about a huge "bear jam" around Banff. Dad gum it!

Anyhoo, while reading the news this morning about the Alberta floods, I saw this story. Really? 

I need to visit Canada again!

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 20

Tuesday, September 4 - San Franscisco to Cambria, CA

Beginning odometer: 45,081

Guess what? This was my birthday. Yes, I'm 39 again!

We packed our bags and went for a hearty breakfast at Mel's Drive In before checking out of the hotel.

As we drove out of the neighborhood, we spotted this house. I could live there. Oh yes, I could!

We were following the directions on our GPS to get us to Pacific Coast Highway 101. I took this photo, because it was kind of nerve wracking seeing where the road ran out and all that blue was ocean. Take a left! Take a left!

I have always wanted to drive the Pacific Coast Highway and what better day to do that than on my birthday? The views are staggeringly beautiful all along the drive. We did not take many pictures, because we could never capture the beauty of the coast.

What did we see on our drive? We saw:

Big trucks loaded with brussell sprouts fresh from the fields.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse  We didn't stop. Next time, for sure, we will!

A small animal crossing the road that we had no earthly idea what it was. My first thought was a baby coyote, but The Husband disagreed. It was not a domesticated animal, whatever it was!

We took the 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. The neighborhoods were gorgeous. The houses were magnificent. The scenery breathtaking. You could almost smell the money it must take to live there!

Here we are at one of the scenic overlooks. Part of the a golf course is over The Husband's left shoulder.

Not a sign we see in Oklahoma.

We, being good tourists, stopped and took photos at The Lone Cypress.

Completing the 17 Mile Drive took us into the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. We drove around looking for Clint Eastwood and his empty chair, but didn't find them so we left.

As we headed down the highway, I was excited to see an area where stiles were being used to allow access to the beach. Using a stile over a fence, prevents the land owners worry that someone would forget to close a gate and possibly allow livestock to escape.

Shortly after we saw the stiles, we saw a mixed herd of elk and cattle. It was very strange to see elk amongst the cattle!

We drove into Cambria, CA and found a lovely room at the Blue Dolphin Inn.

We had a great, late dinner at Madeline's Restaurant.

All in all, it was a perfect birthday!

Ending odometer: 45,322
Miles driven: 241

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 19

Monday, September 3 - San Francisco

Beginning odometer: 45,081

Today's destination? Oakland!

We started our day at a neighborhood joint, Home Plate Restaurant. We had an excellent breakfast and were highly entertained by the numerous cute babies that were there.

Our hotel was not located adjacent to BART, so we took a cab to the closest station. What was our destination, you ask? An Oakland A's game at the O.co Coliseum.

The A's are the only MLB team that still share a stadium with a NFL team.

The A's have some baseball credentials.

The Husband was excited to see the stadium. It was really strange to us that most of the fans brought in their own beer and food. I mean, six packs of chilled beer and sacks of home-made food! We saw some mouth watering fried chicken being passed amongst one family. Made us want to ask for a piece!

It was a beautiful day for baseball.

Really, dude? I didn't pay for a ticket to see you half naked. The A's fans are some of, if not the, loudest fans in the MLB. On this day, they were in rare form.

We had a great time, but opted to leave the game early to take BART back across the bay. We cabbed it back to the hotel and started discussing the eternal question, "What's for dinner?" Somehow we ended up at Perry's again. Third night in a row. What can I say? They have a varied menu and it's all good food. I became a big fan of their chili.

Ending odometer: 45,081
Miles driven: 0

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 18

Sunday, September 2 - San Francisco

Beginning odometer: 44,995

Today's destination? Sonoma

Our route took us across the Golden Gate Bridge. But, wait! The weather was different than the previous day.

Do you see a bridge?

Hello? Bridge? Any one?????

We just assumed it was there. It couldn't have disappeared overnight. Could it?

We arrived in Sonoma (after surviving tough Labor Day weekend traffic) and circled and circled and circled the town in search of a parking space.

In the first public parking lot, we saw a confrontation between a pedestrian and a driver that resulted in screaming curses and rude hand gestures.

In the second parking lot, The Husband pulled into a space and, as he backed up to straighten the car in the space, the driver behind us laid on his horn to indicate his displeasure with us.

By the time we walked to the town center, we were in need of a libation. We quickly entered Steiners.

Yes, we knew we were in Sonoma. Yes, we knew Sonoma is the home of great wines. It didn't matter. We ordered a beer, a diet coke and some tamales. It was a perfect, calm interlude after the stress of getting to the town square.

After we left Steiners and we walked around the town square. We stopped in at
Ledson Hotel & Centre du Vin for a glass of wine. The Husband selected a red.

I selected a chardonnay.

Our wine.

As we drank our wine, we witnessed yet another unpleasant situation. A customer was very impatient and very hateful to the wait staff. As in, he was a total jerk. After the jerk customer left, the other customers started telling the wait staff his actions were totally uncalled for and they should not take it personally. Unfortunately, the staff were bummed by the actions of this guy.

This situation was a case study in how wait staff should, and should not, be treated. Let's remember we are all human beings and are equals. Okay? Okay. Plus, who knows when we may have to work in a restaurant? 'Nuff said.

We finished our glass of wine and continued our walk around Sonoma Square before heading to our car.

We didn't enjoy our trip to Sonoma, which was very disappointing. I have always wanted to go there and drink wine and walk around and be "cool." Unfortunately, that did not happen. People were too grumpy and rude. We do not like grumpy and rude people. Should we blame it on Labor Day weekend?

We battled our way through Labor Day traffic to return to San Francisco. Look, the bridge is still missing!

Hello. Bridge? Are you there?

Once again we arrived at the hotel and put on our walking shoes and went in search of dinner. Perhaps we were just looking for beer, wine, BOOZE and advice?

We returned to Perry's. We don't usually eat at the same place twice on vacation, but we made an exception because we had good food and a fun time there the previous evening.

We walked in, sat at the bar and ordered a cocktail. We chatted to the young man seated next to us and discovered he was an employee of Perry's. As we talked to him and the bartender, they mentioned that one of their regular customers (as in virtually every day) had been written up in the San Francisco Chronicle. The customer's name? Maurice Kanbar.

Why, you ask, am I mentioning Maurice Kanbar? Because he has a connection to Tulsa. A big connection.

A number of years ago, Mr. Kanbar purchased probably 1/3 of Tulsa's downtown buildings. There were great hopes that his love of the Tulsa Art Deco buildings and, quite frankly, his money would result in a renaissance in downtown Tulsa. There was talk of residences, shopping and restaurants within his buildings. Vision is a great and exciting thing. And there was plenty of that after Kanbar's purchase of the buildings. However, new! and exciting! changes didn't happen after his purchase of the buildings. Blasted economy!

Fortunately for Tulsa, in the years since Kanbar's purchases, other projects have been able to enhance our downtown core. Perhaps Mr. Kanbar should revisit his vision for his Tulsa properties? I think so!

Another fun evening at Perry's was had by us. Off to bed we went...

Ending odometer: 45,081
Miles driven: 86

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 17

Saturday, September 1 - San Francisco

Beginning odometer: 44,985

To start our day, The Husband walked the neighborhood and found us bagels and coffee. While he was gone, I readied myself for the day.

Our destination? Sausalito!

This was our maiden drive over the Golden Gate Bridge.

There was no fog, so we could see the bridge.

Driving on the bridge.

It was a beautiful day. Me in Sausalito with San Francisco in the background.

The Husband and San Francisco.

After our enjoyable afternoon walking through the tourist shops, we took a break and had some yummy ice cream at Lappert's.

We drove back across the bridge to the hotel. We donned our walking shoes and went in search of dinner. Should we have a hot dog?

Or pizza? Do you see The Husband?

We ended up back on Union Street and stopped in at Perry's.

The bartenders, Bill and Danny, were very funny and hospitable. We enjoyed a good meal, great cocktails and fun conversation while sitting at their bar.

As the evening wound down, the locals started filling the bar and the dice came out. Bill and Danny played several rousing games of "liar's dice" with their patrons. The dice rolls were fast and furious, as were the conversations and challenges. We were highly entertained!

Bedtime came before we knew it.

Ending odometer: 44,995
Miles driven: 10

P.S. I purchased this purse in Sausalito. What do you think?

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 16

Friday, August 31 - Port Hueneme to San Francisco

Beginning odometer: 44,598
Departure time: 7:30 a.m.

We left the cousins' house early, stopped to get gas and to pick up a roadie breakfast. We headed North on the 101, facing a long day of driving to San Francisco.

Hours later we were able to say, "Hello, San Francisco!"

We found our hotel in The Marina District and got settled into the room.

We researched local restaurant options and discovered we were just 3 blocks from the Union Street Shops. We put on our walking shoes and ended up at Cafe des Amis. Friday night happy hour was in full swing and the bar area was standing room only. We eventually managed to snag two seats and began the evening with martinis and oysters. They hit the spot after a long day in the car!

We had a pleasant evening and headed back to the hotel early. Bed was calling our names...

Ending odometer: 44,985
Miles driven: 387

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 16-24

Yes, I'm home after our 24 day road trip.

Yes, I know I've only blogged up to day 15.

I was tired when we arrived home and I had a lot of things to do.

First, and foremost, spend time with my 80 year old Mom. She missed us.

Second, see my Sister and her family.

Third, visit my two booths, which had been neglected during my absence.

It was time to pull my stockpiled Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving merchandise and distribute it to the booths. And, yes, resume shopping at the local estate and garage sales.

Weary, I tell you. Weary, I am. I've had no time or energy to finish blogging our vacation.

Never fear that I will not be able to complete the documentation of the 24 day trip. I not only have handwritten notes for each day, but I have photos and applicable brochures for places we visited.

As God is my witness, I will complete the documentation of our vacation!

Road Trip #2 - 2012 - Day 15

Thursday, August 30 - Port Hueneme

Beginning odometer: 44,598

We had a great sleep and woke up early for a couple of reasons:

1. The Cousin had a volunteer meeting to attend.
2. The Cleaning Lady was due to arrive at 9:00 a.m. (You never want to disrupt the cleaning lady's schedule!)

Before we left the house, we were privileged to meet their pet. They have had this pet forty years. Yes, I said 40 years!

Meet Morongo. 

Let me give you some perspective on his size. He weighs around 18 pounds. 

He lives in their back yard and under their storage shed.

This is the entrance, under the storage shed, that he has created for himself over the years.

Now, mind you, they have lived in this house since 1965, which is 47 years. Morongo has lived there 40 of the 47. Amazing, but true!

When the yard storage shed was installed. Morongo said to himself, "Hmmm, instead of burrowing into the ground to hibernate, I'll just tunnel under this shed and make myself a mansion." Which, over the years, he did. Smart turtle!

The Cousin's Husband told a couple of really funny stories about how he, at various times, was working in, or around, his shed on a ladder and all the sudden the floor/ground would give way because of Morongo's tunnels. The Cousin's Husband said even though it was surprising to fall through the floor of the shed, it was really interesting to see how Morongo had created his own world down below to protect himself from rains and cold weather. At one point, he even installed a mirror in the tunnels to keep up with what Morongo was doing down there!

Morongo is a picky eater, but after 40 years they know what he likes and dislikes in the way of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Newly sprouted asparagus in their garden seems to be one of his favorites, much to their chagrin! 

The only thing they have to worry about when they leave for vacation is whether or not he accidently turns himself on his back while moving around the yard. It doesn't happen often, but if it does and there is no one there to turn him over, it could cause his death. They don't have to worry about putting out food or water for him in their absence. He can survive on the plants in their yard and the dew provides all the water he needs. 

I ended up falling in love with Morongo. He reminded me of the little box turtle that lived in my parent's backyard when I was young. That turtle showed up every spring for 2 or 3 years and then disappeared. So sad. 

I'm trying to convice The Husband we need a turtle. It's the perfect pet for us!

After The Cousin left for her meeting, The Cousin's Husband took us to a great breakfast.

Afterwards we went to a thrift store, where I was able to purchase some items for resale in my booths. After the thrift store, we toured the local 99¢ Only store. It's amazing what they sell for 99 cents. Truly amazing.

We returned to the house to meet up with The Cousin. We headed off to the small town of Ojai, CA for the afternoon. We spent time perusing the contents of the shelves at Bart's Books. I can now say I've been to an outdoor bookstore! If I lived in Ojai, I know I would spend a lot of time there. After touring a local antique store, we took the long and winding road back to the house.

We had a delicious dinner at home and played a few rousing games of Mexican Train Dominoes.

The Husband with his dominoes. His keen analytical mind helped him win 3 of the 4 games we played. Curses!

After dominoes, The Cousin cut us HUGE slices of leftover chocolate cake. She was desperate to get rid of it!

Ending odometer: 44,598
Miles driven: 0