What to Do on a Sunny Day in San Francisco

February 28, 2020February 27, 2017

A sunny day in San Francisco may not happen as often as we would like. The weather is unpredictable and can be colder in July than in December! I’m certain that you have heard the famous Mark Twain quote “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. According to several sources I have found he never actually said it! He said something similar to this, but not that exact phrase.

I have traveled to the City by the Bay many times and have experienced every type of weather. But when it is a sunny day in San Francisco, when the skies are bright blue and the sun is happily shining, it is time to make plans and get out of town.

I don’t mean out of town, but rather to travel to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoy the spectacular views of the city from the other side of the bay. San Francisco is one of the prettiest cities in the U.S. with its tall buildings, enormous hills, beautiful architecture (old and new) long rocky coastlines and spectacular bridges.

At the suggestion of knowledgeable local residents, our son Nick and his girlfriend Kylie, we drove just a few minutes over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to see the Point Bonita Lighthouse. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and FREE!

Two Girls Ate Breakfast at Sqirl!

February 28, 2020February 23, 2017

A Foodie Adventure in LA – Breakfast at Sqirl

I have a foodie buddy, her name is Keri and I have known her since I was 12. Yep, 12. When we moved back to Pasadena, it gave me the chance to reconnect with some wonderful longtime friends. It feels so food to slip right back into a friendship even after not spending much time together in decades.

Keri and I plan food adventures to try restaurants we have not yet had a chance to visit. She and I have so many things in common that this process is simple. We pick a place, set up a time to visit, try a few dishes and discuss. We even allow a little driving distance because the traffic doesn’t bother us, we always have lots to talk about so the time flies!

Our most recent adventure was to have breakfast at Sqirl. Cute and clever name isn’t it? When I lived in Orange County, this type of trip to LA would have been such a traffic nightmare that I never could have driven to this spot for breakfast. Living in Pasadena is such an advantage when it comes to eating at great places in Los Angeles.

A Cooking Adventure: My Favorite Risotto Recipe

February 28, 2020February 17, 2017

Family time and our favorite risotto recipe ~

Cooking and eating great food is a huge part of our everyday life, as well as our traveling experiences. While on a trip, we have fun searching for terrific local cuisine, I take foodie walking tours and attend a cooking classes and while at home, cook for our family or just for Craig and I in the Empty Nest.

About five years ago, I carefully assembled all of our family’s favorite dishes and created a cookbook, Recipes From Your Childhood. I self published through Blurb.com and really enjoyed the experience!

What I loved most was being able to give our children recipes to meals that they loved as children and this allowed them to revisit many wonderful childhood memories. For this labor of love, I tested every recipe and photographed each finished product myself. It is my “go to” cookbook and has made my personal recipe organization a breeze.

A Sunset Adventure in Antarctica – By Travels with Tam

February 16, 2017

A breathtaking adventure in Antarctica with TravelswithTam.

One of the many benefits of the life of a travel blogger is not only to experience the places we go, but the additional gift of connecting with new people. I have been fortunate to create friendships with many incredible individuals who are interested in adventure and their unique journeys are ones that I have never taken. Tam is a true adventurer and her visit to Antarctica marked her seventh continent!

7 Ways to Build Happiness in the Empty Nest

March 24, 2020February 13, 2017

Don’t get too excited, no sex secrets here today, just a little honest talk about relationships and marriage and a few suggestions for how to build happiness in the Empty Nest. It is Valentine week after all!

The kids have grown up, moved out and are away at school. Most likely they only come home occasionally and that means much more privacy in the Empty Nest. I can remember the lack of privacy when Nick was in high school and I would have to wear a bra under my pajamas if the teenage boys were coming over. I know TMI, but we just never knew who and how many were arriving at 11:00 pm at night. True privacy was non-existent back then!

What’s Hip & Delicious in Los Angeles? Silver Lake’s Alimento

February 28, 2020February 9, 2017

Our visit to Alimento in the historic Silver Lake neighborhood ~

If you have visited here before, you know that delicious food and fabulous restaurants are very high on our adventures list. We do try to search out the most talked about and well reviewed restaurants around the U.S. so we can share them with you! Today’s focus is located in our very own La La Land, Los Angeles. We travel a great deal so our Los Angeles restaurant adventure is a little slow going. I did however just go with my friend Keri to Petit Trois for an authentic French bistro experience recently! You can check that out => here.

However, we were able to get a reservation this week to experience another one of LA’s best restaurants. The tiny and hip area of Silver Lake boasts many fantastic restaurants and now that we live in Pasadena, we are less than fifteen minutes away from this outstanding foodie village.

Luxury in San Diego: A Sensational Stay in a Presidential Suite

February 28, 2020February 6, 2017

To stay in a Presidential Suite is VERY special!

Being loyal is an important personal attribute and being loyal to a particular brand(s) will help a great deal when you travel. We have been traveling for years together as a couple and my husband travels almost every week for business. We discovered years ago that paying special attention to your choices in accommodations as well as the airlines, makes a HUGE difference. If you stay within one chain of hotels, you build loyalty points that can be used for more travel, upgrades and for status.

If you travel a lot, it is especially nice to be upgraded and/or offered lovely amenities, bottles of wine and delightful snacks. Traveling isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. It can be frustrating, exhausting, confusing and there is no one there patting you on the arm telling you all will be ok. If we have issues with our travel plans, we have to solve them. If there are delays, we have to endure them.

Ten Romantic Getaway Ideas for Empty Nesters

February 28, 2020February 1, 2017

Planning a romantic getaway for your sweetheart?

February is here and maybe you are thinking about a romantic getaway with your sweetheart? Maybe you are not… but just maybe you should think about it? I recently participated in a fun post with Expedia where fourteen travel bloggers offered their best ideas for a couples trip somewhere in the U.S. I was super flattered to be included and you can click ==> here to read the article! There were so many cities to choose from and I thought I would add to the list here.

A Special Cake Baking Class – Seattle Style

February 28, 2020January 30, 2017

A Cake Baking Class Adventure While Traveling ~

Yes, we did it again. Alex and I took a Birthday Layer Cake Baking class at The Pantry in Seattle. When your busy adult child wants to spend time with you… you always say yes! We have found such camaraderie through our common passion for cooking and our son Nick also loves to cook! Lightening struck twice, lucky me!

When I make plans to visit a city, I try to look deeper into activities that most likely are not filled with tourists. I look for things that we (I) have a strong interest in learning more about. We always look for local bookstores, cooking stores, sports related tours, foodie tours, architecture tours, music/record stores, cooking classes, breweries, and distilleries.

A Bullet Journal Adventure- What is that?

January 25, 2017

I am excited to start a new bullet journal for all of my adventures ~

Are you familiar with the Bullet Journal? The Bullet Journal is a totally customizable organization system that adapts to your needs. It is modular by design and comprised of interchangeable methods that help you quickly capture and organize information. The four key concepts lay the foundation and they are: Rapid Logging, Collections, Migration and Indexing.

How do you stay organized, keep your adventures in order and track your goals? Do you keep your thoughts in your computer? Do you have one notebook? Several notebooks?

The bullet journal is also known as #BuJo and is associated with a multitude of other hashtags on Instagram. I learned about it last year, but I was spinning in so many directions I couldn’t sit down and get an idea how this new way of logging my info would work for me.