Christmas Nudibranch off the California Coast

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends and loved ones!

I hope everyone gets lots of things they love and enjoys what little time we have to spend with those closest to us!

Love you all!

Saturday we woke up to a wonderful breakfast at the B & B…rosemary eggs and harvest potatoes…yum!  We decided to check out the bay area, scoping out the outskirts of town along the way!

First stop: Morro Bay!

Skyline-view of Morro Bay: pacific ocean on the left, bay waters on the right

We drove through an enchanted forest of eucalyptus trees on our way to the ocean!

The waves crashing between the rocks…so. pretty.

Morro Rock…not quite sure where it came from or why it’s cool, but hey…I don’t argue with the landmarks!

Sean just had to get some clam chowder on his taste buds, so we went to lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall in Pismo Beach.  We were told they had the best clam chowder in all the land.  They. Lied.  It was the best clam chowder in all the WORLD!  I was jealous. Seriously!

After lunch we checked out the Avila Barn in Avila Beach.  Cutest little farm ever!  They had pumpkin patches, an apple orchard, a homemade ice cream and fudge shop, and a little market with all the fresh fruits and veggies you could imagine.

They had wine grapes on the vine (truthfully they looked like they were almost raisins, but you know.)  I found this view of a classic-shaped grape vine…classic!

We took a fun ride on a tractor-pull out to the apple orchard where you pick up to 2 pounds of fresh apples right. off. the. tree!  They were the best tasting apples…ever!

Can you see a pattern here?  Saturday night we went to dinner at the apple farm, enjoying comfort food in a quaint setting.  We split a yummy cheeseburger and an apple pie (of course).

Sunday we woke up to a power outage at the B & B, so we got to sleep in a bit.  Yay rest!  Then we had a late breakfast of Sante Fe eggs…very good!  As we left the ranch, we noticed a commotion going on at the wine vineyard along the main road.  Turns out they were celebrating the harvest with a wine tasting party.  Of course we joined in…and enjoyed ourselves!  After a reasonable period of rest, we drove home!  We got to drive through a bunch of canyon, over a river or two…and back to concrete city.  It was really nice to enjoy the countryside!

Since Sunday was our actual anniversary, my dad mailed us our cake from the wedding…to keep up with traditions and all.  Unfortunately, since we live on a sailboat with a very small freezer, we didn’t take our cake home.  Actually my mom took it home, then shipped it in my brother’s suitcase the next time he visited my dad, who kept it in his freezer until he mailed it to us in San Luis Obispo.  Isn’t family great??  The cake didn’t look as glamorous as it did at the reception, but it tasted great.  We both had a bite, crossed-arm style, and even smudged some on each other’s cheeks.  According to the wedding fairies that means we’ll be together FOREVER!

Albert was super excited to see us come home, and we brought him a special ‘Albert-sized’  apple…which he devoured!

The weekend was really very special…a relaxing trip for us to enjoy each other.  Can’t wait for another great year babe!  Love you!

In case you didn’t know, Sean and I celebrated our very 1st anniversary back on November 8th!  (we were having some internet issues, coupled with being out of town, so this post has been delayed)

Because we had such a fabulous trip with so many sights and experiences to share, I will be spreading out our trip over a few posts, so you don’t miss anything!

Day 1 (Friday):

Sean took the day off, so we could drop off the pups early and get a head start on our trip!  We decided to drive most of the trip up the Pacific Coast Highway, which can take a bit longer than the freeway, so we wanted to be sure we had lots of time!  Keep in mind, early for us is roughly 11am!  He he…

Anyway, we headed up the coast toward Santa Barbara, which is one of the most expensive places to live in the country.  I really have no idea why, but it is, so go with it.  We decided to stop for lunch at the pier, so we could enjoy the beach too!  We chose The Barbecue Company because who doesn’t love a good pulled pork sandwich and some oven-baked cheesy corn souffle??  I can’t remember what Sean had, b/c I was so in love with mine, but he said it was good!

Back on the road (me behind the wheel), we had just two more hours before we reached our weekend sanctuary; I must say it is one of the most beautiful two hour drives in the world.  Picture this:  rolling hills and farmland on my right, random sightings of cows, sheep, lamas, horses, etc…  Then to the left, pristine views of the pacific ocean, rocky ledges and sun-kissed waves…oh. my. Gorgeous!  I was happy to drive, except Sean is not the best at taking pictures from the passenger seat…he mostly just naps…boo!

Finally, we arrive in SAN LUIS OBISPO!  SLO (as the locals refer to it) is one of the most beautiful towns along the central Californian coast.  I visited last fall on my own to check out Cal Poly (basically the mecca of agricultural universities in California) and their Agricultural Masters Programs.  I have since gone in a different direction (big surprise, eh?), but the area is so wonderful I just had to bring Sean up to experience it.

So, we drive through downtown SLO, gawking at the cobblestone and brick buildings.  We arrived about 3pm, just as the afternoon sun was breaking through all the trees and pulling out all the wonderful fall colors that make up the town.  So beautiful!  We headed towards the outskirts of town and start to see the cute hobby farms, vineyards, and wineries that dot the area.  The bed and breakfast we chose was situated in a farming neighborhood: basically a neighborhood of 10-20 acre properties used as farms or vineyards.  It was stunning.  The sun was reflecting off the hills in the background and the vines were all sparkle-y in cranberry reds, burnt oranges, golden yellows, and minty greens.  STU-UH-NNING!

The Bridge Creek Inn B&B was being watched by Mary & John, friends of the owners.  After a quick stop to say hello to some cows across the street, we ventured across the bridge, past the eucalyptus trees, and up to the quirky-shaped, dark-colored house.  Designed by an artist back in the 70’s, it presented multiple floors, separating the living floors from the sleeping floors.  We were greeted and checked in by John, while Mary prepared an appetizing bean dip for the cocktail hour, accompanied by a locally produced white wine.  We had a lovely conversation with them, then unpacked and settled in.  Since we were the only guests, we had the whole house all to ourselves!  Whoo hoo!

After a rest, we hopped into our private hot tub for a relaxing hour.  Then, took a spin in the sauna in our bathroom.  It was a dry sauna and Sean and I both decided we did not prefer it…too hot!  We both grabbed a shower and got ready to go out for a bite.  The great thing about being back in a college town is being able to find a meal late at night.  We left the inn about 9pm and headed back into town.

We split a gyro pizza at this cute little Greek cafe, then headed down the street to a self-serve soft-serve shop!  Very. Cool.  Go pick your cup size, then choose from 6-8 different soft-serve flavors that your control the amount going into your cup.  You then get in the toppings line and choose as many toppings in whatever quantity you want and add them to your cup.  You then have your cup weighed and pay $.30 per oz.  I got a small cup with like 6 different toppings and it costs less then $2…awesome!  Of course Sean went all out with a large and every topping available, but it was still under $5, so still better than Coldstone.  We spent the rest of our time at Borders looking through all the lovely books on sale!  Sean got a new read, and I picked up a new cookbook about decorating cakes with fondant…I can’t wait to make some cakes!

We went back to the inn, marveling at the darkness of the night, all the stars we could see, and the beauty of the moon lighting up the rolling hills.  What a sight…it was a beautiful way to end the night!

Stay tuned for Saturday’s events!

Albert

Some of you may know my mom is a wildlife rehabilitator in Panama City Beach, FL.  Check out her awesome website for Kritter, Inc. Wildlife Sanctuary.  Recently I took a little trip down to PC to be with my family as I made some tough life decisions while getting some R & R from real life.  Basically I went to work, everyday, with all the sick and injured animals that need nearly constant care.  It. Was. Fun!

Anyway, while I was visiting, a little quaker parrot was attacked by a cat (or dog) and had all his feathers ripped out of his backside.  He was very raw and sore, yet still very friendly.  We had an instant connection, and though my mom doesn’t usually take in domestic animals, she heeded my plea and we took him to the sanctuary.

Albert is very personable and lively.  Even though he had a sore backside, he loved to interact with people; he was hand-tamed (naturally stepped up on my finger), he’d sit on my shoulder, talked and squawked non-stop, and even started preening me (a sure sign of attachment).

After 2 weeks of playing morning and night, I decided (with the approval of my husband) to bring him home with me.  We named him Albert (after our favorite mascot) and bought him a ticket home!

There was some concern he wouldn’t get along with Sean b/c parrots are usually one-owner birds, but as you can see-Albert loves Sean too.  He is a frequent sleeper when put onto our shoulders, plus he preens both of us.  He’s a part of the Bell clan now!

The other day Albert must have been hot or stinky, b/c he decided to jump into his water dish.  The. Cutest. Thing. Ever!

He is such a goof!  We love him!

What kind of pets do you have?  Do they do anything really goofy??

HALLOWEEN!!

Since we live on a sailboat, home decor tends to be done in much smaller (compact) doses.  This fall I decided to go with flowers and a few cute little squashes to match!

This year Sean and I were invited to an authentic haunted house by one of Sean’s coworkers.  This place was amazing…these folks got their neighbors involved 6 weeks in advance to start building the motion-sensored tricks.  It took them 2 whole weeks of decorating all throughout their house (and the outside) to get ready for the big night!  It was amazing!  Scary goblins jumping out of every corner…spooky music and lights…it had it all!  The neighbors to the left set up a big screen tv to show scary movies throughout the night and the neighbors to the right turned their garage into a haunted buffet!!  It was a very fun night!

Sean and I don’t ordinarily dress up for Halloween, b/c well we have no creative minds when it comes to scary stuff.

However, since we were invited to a haunted house, we decided we’d try.  Sean went as a zombie scuba Steve and I went as a zombie chef.  Thanks to my little sister, Taylor, for contributing the idea that zombie ‘anything’ makes for a good costume!

After last year’s Halloween, I went shopping for the dogs costumes for the 2009 Halloween.  I know that seems way early, but I got both of their costume for under $5 thanks to the after-halloween sale!  I should go get some costumes for Sean and I for next year too!

Mackenzie decided she wanted to be a pumpkin…isn’t she adorable??

Madison decided she’d be the perfect ghost.  She actually just had surgery last week and was still wearing the cone, and the hood on her costume fit perfectly over it.  It’s super cute!!

We had a great Halloween weekend, a wonderful way to end October.  Speaking of a great way to end the month, my good friend, Joann Ocampo,  just got engaged!!  Congratulations Joann…I can’t wait to see how beautiful you will be as a bride!  Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you!  Muah!!

Now that November is here, Sean and I are looking forward to celebrating our 1 year anniversary, getting ready to see family over Thanksgiving, and making plans for Christmas!!

What are you planning for November??

Tonight Sean and I got all dolled up and went out for BBQ at Famous Dave’s!  We split a pork and brisket plate…the food was delish!!

Afterwards, we ran over to catch:

I have to say…It. Was. Fabulous!!!

I have always been a big fan of MJ’s music and it was great to see what he was working on.  There were some new songs in the movie, plus many of the great older ones!

We really had a great time.  Unfortunately, ColdStone Creamery was closed by the time we got out of the movie, so no pumpkin icecream tonight.

Looking forward to the Gator game tomorrow and oh, Halloween!!