nice day at the beach
January 24, 2014
We took a drive to the coast today to have lunch in Capitola and I was /allowed/ to stop at ONE shop. Only one. Must choose wisely. So I did. We went to Wisteria just 5 minutes inland in Soquel. It's an old house turned into a shop set in a lovely garden. Each room is decorated for it's original use and every single thing is for sale. If you ever find yourself in the Santa Cruz area and could only stop in ONE shop, this would be the one I would choose. It's brimming with antiques, one of a kind local artist's finds, books, china, linens and unusual and beautiful nursery plants and garden items.
My husband was checking out the vintage bird cages. Upwards of $500 each. Gulp.
The outdoor spaces and gardens are lovely.
The unusual hydrangeas were beautiful.
The weather today was so mild. Sixty-seven degrees F and this is January! Lots of sunbathers and always surfers. You can't tell by my pictures but they were getting some good waves. Just north at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay the waves were ENORMOUS and they were having the big wave invitational. The surfers come from all over the world and they give them something like 24 hours notice that the contest is on. We used to watch it years ago but now it has become so famous it's impossible to park.
Capitola Beach below was the beach I took my son to almost every week during the summer. I still like it here. It's a cute little beach town that takes just a few minutes to walk through. We always seem to eat at Zelda's only because we like to sit on the outdoor patio and watch the surfers and we can always find something we like on the menu. It's something we do every few months or so and makes such a nice day.
I have to add this after I got a few comments about being jealous of our warm weather: I do understand, we read the newspapers and know how bad it is with the Polar Vortex. But don't envy us too much. We are so warm and dry right now it's downright scary. This is our warmest and driest January on record. EVER. The governor has issued a drought crisis and we are certain to have water restrictions soon. Right now it's voluntary, but our state relies on agriculture and this year could be traumatic for farmers. Pray for some California rain.
11 Comments
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow long did your "one stop" take? LOL
ReplyDeleteJust looking at the shop and the gardens, I know I would stay there for hours!!! I might never leave!
It's been so cold here, that I have a very hard time believing you took those pictures today and even believing that one day it will get warm... Thank you for making me dream of summer! ;-)
I know, the Polar Vortex. Something unknown to us here in CA. Also rain. We have totally forgotten what that is. We are PARCHED!
DeleteWhat a beautiful day at the beach. I love the garden shop at Wisteria.
ReplyDeleteCarole
You know how to pick 'em! Beautiful shop!
ReplyDeleteWow! Wisteria looks like a place one could spend hours browsing. Great pics! I live in the area of the Polar Vortex (just east of Toronto) and am grateful the weather people aren't calling it a Canadian polar vortex. My husband and I leave for 2 months in Florida next week. It can't come soon enough.
ReplyDeleteWe here in the Midwest are no strangers to drought, so you betcha I'll pray for rain in California!!! Lack of rain is no joke!!! It affects not only your citizenry but the whole country. I wish Mother Nature would see fit to spread the wealth around a bit more evenly! I'm sure the folks in the NE would be more than happy to divvy up the moisture they've been getting in the form of snow!
ReplyDeleteYou chose WISELY!!! What a great store! The owner(s) must have one of the greatest jobs on earth deciding how to stock and arrange it all!!!!! There were only about 1,000 things I saw that I would want to buy from your photos! :-)
What a lovely store! My sister used to live in Soquel and we often puttered around and went to Capitola. So nice to see these photos and remember lovely times with my sister.
ReplyDeleteWow! I never knew about Wisteria. I will have to check it out the next time I go to Capitola. What lovely photos!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristen, what a fun trip. So nice to get out and browse. We do need the rain badly. I hope we get some soon. I will do a tutorial soon on social media. I do see your elements scattered around. They would look better lined up and easy to find.
ReplyDeleteI think you also need your labels in a drop down menu. You could use a makeover....LOL Maybe some navigation links too.
You realize the "polar vortex" isn't anything new, right?
ReplyDeleteI sure hope so, because there's a lot that rides on that for all of us.
You make my day when you make a comment!