More "Recycling Art"...

Right next door to our favorite Co-op farm stand in San Juan Capistrano, the non-profit "Ecology Center" has taken over an historic old farmhouse. We didn't get into the Center this afternoon, but we got a big chuckle out of the water bottle sculpture on display!

Our new favorite nursery...

We discovered the Ito Nursery when we made our first visit to the Historic District in San Juan Capistrano a few weeks ago, but it was closed. Today, after spending time with Belle, we walked around this wonderful, very large, family owned and operated plant emporium. Didn't bring home any plants (this time - we will go back!), but did find an unusual pot that is soon to be the home of an Oak-Leaf hydrangea in need of transplanting. Should look terrific in our front courtyard!

Crossing Newport Harbor on the Ferry...

The calendar may say that fall has arrived, but someone forgot to tell the weatherman. Today is one of the warmest days we've had in months! Larry had no problem convincing Margaret that a late breakfast/early lunch down by the pier was a great idea. Not in a rush to get back home after our omelettes, we drove down Newport Peninsula to the Fun Zone, and then decided to make our way back via the Auto Ferry to Balboa Island. (Bridges on the other side of the island connect it with the "mainland".) It's a short ride across the harbor - about five minutes. But, it was a great to be back on the water, enjoying a beautiful autumn day.

Welcome Autumn...

With the autumnal equinox, Margaret usually buys some small pumpkins and gourds to bring a taste of fall into the house. Problem is, in the long weeks between now and Thanksgiving, typically very warm days in Southern California, they do tend to get moldy.
With that it mind, how could we resist these seasonal candles? Odds are that they'll never get burned. We can just store them away for next year!

"Condo Care"...

Living in a condo community has its benefits. When there is repair work to be done, someone else (the management company) is responsible for making that happen. Of course, the homeowners still have to live with the activity!








This year's major project at Longwood Greens, following the termite tenting in the spring, has been repairing and/or replacing the wood trim that is such a big part of the Spanish style architecture. Once all the damaged wood is fixed, the exterior walls are power washed from roof to ground, and then all trim is painted. The very hard-working crew of guys, who started in the community in early August, made their way to our building over the past week or so, and they've seemed like little ants, crawling all over our unit. (Or should I say big, noisy ants?) It's been a bit nerve-wracking at times, and the racket and presence of strangers outside upstairs windows, on the roof, on the balcony, and going in and out of the patio has been hard on all of us, especially poor Sassy, who gets particularly stressed by loud noises. (Saws-alls are definitely not her friend!) Needless to say, we're glad that much of the work on our unit is done - we've only got two more sets of workers to come through, those that will patch the repairable wood with filler, and then the guy with the paint spray gun. We just hope that someone remembers to put our gutter back up on the balcony!

Better late than never...

Back in the spring, Margaret purchased a plumeria cane, planted it as directed, surrounded it by flowering annuals to fill out the pot, and set it on our balcony, which gets as close to full sun as any growing spot we have. For weeks, then months, the cane just stood there, not even growing the tiny leaf buds that it had come with. Was it alive or dead? We had no idea. Then, a couple of weeks ago it developed a proboscis-like growth on the top of the plant, followed by tiny flower buds. Yes, it lived and it intended to flower! Now, a few of the sweet smelling blossoms have opened. The under-planted annuals have already given up for the season. We just hope that the rest of the buds mature and open before the weather turns too cold for this tropical beauty!

Us - 2, Whales - 0...

Back in March we went out on a whale watching boat. Had a great time, but alas, saw no whales. Back at the dock we were given half price vouchers to be used for a future trip. We'd been hearing that both gray and blue whales had been sighted in our vicinity for the past couple of weeks. So, we took our half-price coupons back to Newport this afternoon and spent two and a half wonderful hours cruising up and down the local coast. Did we see any whales? No! But, was it a great way to spend a sunny, late summer afternoon? You bet! (And, we came home with a couple more half price vouchers, good for now through the end of May 2011!)

Just watching and hearing the waves break at the edge of the harbor made for a wonderful, quickie get-away. And there was so much more to see...

"Bow running"...

We saw so many dolphin on this trip. Watching them dive through the wake of the boat was a highlight for everyone on board.

It wasn't just the dolphins that were jumping...

This thresher shark leaped not once, but twice into the air. We think there were fishermen on board who were wishing for the rods. They said he was looking pretty hungry!

Sea lions and sea birds...

California sea lions resting on a navigational buoy at the entrance to the harbor make for great pictures. We expect the guy who owns the boat wishes they would take their sun bathes some place else!

If We Won The Lottery...

...we could be quite happy with the view from any of these houses!

A taste of Newport Beach...

Just a few of the sights seen around Newport.

A different perspective...

Newport Harbor, as seen between the hulls of the Catalina Flyer - high speed transport to the island.

A new garden ornament...

This is the beautiful mosaic orb we purchased last week at a Garden decor shop in the Los Rios district. Our old gazing ball had long since become non-reflective; we love this in it's place, nestled in the ivy covered plant stand.

On the other side of the tracks...

We've spent a tremendous amount of time in San Juan Capistrano over the years, Margaret especially since her horse activities, clear back to the mid-80's have taken place in that town. Still, neither of us had crossed over the Amtrak tracks into the Los Rios Historical District until today. A "quick lunch" at the Hummingbird House Cafe was just the prelude to another hour or more exploring this unique area. (We would have stayed longer if we hadn't needed to get to the barn!)

About 40 homes (varying in age from 50 to 204 years old) can be found on the few blocks of Los Rios, a street that was not even paved all that many years ago. The area has become declared a Historical site by the State of California and the federal government, and is known as the oldest neighborhood in the state. Some of the homes have been converted to the area's four restaurants, others to shops. All of the buildings are a joy to look at, some quite rustic, others brightly colored, and a few traditionally charming bungalows. And, every yard is filled with plants. "Natives, such as cactus, succulents and grasses stand shoulder to shoulder with brightly colored flowering plants and some beautiful roses! Ancient California Pepper Trees, with their enormous gnarled trunks, anchor the corners of many of the properties.

In a shop that had every imaginable kind of garden ornamentation we bought a large mosaic covered ball to replace our faded old gazing ball in the patio. It's a shop we'll want to return to, as is the whole area. We were told by one of the store owners that during the Christmas season the street is gloriously decorated. A return in December has just gone on our to-do list, though I suspect we'll return sooner. There were a couple of other restaurants that looked awfully interesting!

A "CanStructive" Idea...

We went to South Coast Plaza today to see the 3rd Annual "CanStruction" exhibit at South Coast Plaza. Fourteen architecture, engineering, and design firms took part in this competition, constructing enormous structures out of cans of food. When the exhibit closes at the end of the month, all food items will be donated to the Orange County Food Band.
South Coast Plaza covers a lot of ground. After seeing five of the exhibits in the main building, we enjoyed salads on the patio at Wolfgang Pucks. Then, we crossed over to the "Home Store" portion of the plaza, where nine either structures were on display. We finished our adventure with some book shopping at Borders, followed by "Seattle's Best" Mochas on the bookstore's patio. With school now in session, the mall and the restaurants were nearly empty - the perfect time to enjoy some local color!

Flowers for a new season...

Even though the first day of autumn is still a couple of weeks away, fall colors are turning up everywhere. We had a few friends join us for brats, potato salad and slaw on Labor Day. These unusual sunflowers were the perfect end-of-summer centerpiece!