Hello Oprah !!!

We started our morning with breakfast at the Live Oak Cafe. Our cute hipster waiter said that when he has kids, he wants to name his daughters Sage and Rosemary. My heart flutters. And it's not a medical condition.

First, we went up north to Isla Vista, the home of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Both Doc and I are UC alumni - UC Irvine, and UC San Diego.

Our first stop was Gaucho Stadium. In 2006, the UCSB Gauchos won the  NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament.

Doc wore a Led Zeppelin T shirt. He receives endless compliments on his T shirt collection.

We then cruised around, looking at the campus. Here are two shots of a typical mall in the campus.

Here's a picture of me at University Plaza. There was an information booth there. We noticed a blue sports car doing the tour like us.

My new Dollhouse sandals were awesome. They were almost as comfy as running shoes.Then we went down to the area of campus that houses the Marine Science Institute. We parked and first walked over to the lagoon.

The lagoon is an enhanced 6 acre vernal swamp marsh. It is maintained by a grant. The most common birds are herons, egrets, stilts and cormorants.  We saw cormorants and a white heron. Here is a picture of me looking south toward Santa Barbara.

Then we took a path down to the beach. It had tide pools and we saw dogs frolicking about.

We walked along the path until it came to a set of several steps that led to a lookout point.

We hung there for a couple of minutes, and then came back down the path to the beach, where by now, lots of families, paddle boarders and surfers were present, enjoying the PERFECT day.

By the way, the weather is perfect. The ultimate. About 75 degrees and sunny, with a slight breeze. We then headed south on Hollister Avenue to Goleta, California. Goleta seems to be a mostly migrant worker town. We went into a market to get water bottles, but they only had one kind, that Doc didn't want. Then we went to 7-11, where Doc got lottery tickets and I got a delicious Mexican pineapple popsicle. Mexican popsicles are the best - they are basically crushed frozen fruit. Then we went to an Antique Mall and a thrift shop. I was surprised how crowded they were. I bought 3 things at the shops, but I will reveal them later.

Then we cruised down the 101 to Montecito, the home of Oprah Winfrey. We drove around the beautiful shaded lanes, which reminded me of Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles. We lost Siri, due to bad Internet connection, so we had to just follow the lanes downhill until we could reconnect. It was actually very nice and pleasant, and there were a lot of things to look at. We ended up taking Milpas Avenue back to Santa Barbara, instead of the freeway. And boy, am I glad we did.

First, we parked and walked through a venue called La Arcada. They had a turtle pond.

Aren't they cute? By the way, this is just off State st, on a street named Anacapa Street. We checked out a couple of menus, but Doc had seen a Chinese restaurant, and that sounded better. Then we went across the street to the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

Please be assured that the pretty girl in the foreground is NOT me. I am the elderly speck under the arch. It was built from 1926 - 1929 in the style of a Spanish Andalucian castle. It stills functions as the courthouse today. There were trials and dates listed. On the second floor is the Mural Room. There was a fire in 2010, and the murals needed restoration. This room, along with the clock tower, opened in June, 2015.

This mural can be seen as you climb to the second floor. On that floor is the mural room. Here I am!!

There are four more flights to the observation tower. On the way, you can see the clock works and the giant bell that sounds the hour.

Also on the way, is this beautiful stained glass window. It looks like heaven pouring in, in this shot.

Once on top, you can walk entirely around for a 360 degree panoramic view. Doc took my picture at my two favorite vistas.

In this one, you can see the Granada Theater, and the Arlington Theater.

                If you looked down, you could see the gardens and the rest of the grounds.

 All of this is free of charge. In Santa Barbara, parking is free or minimal. So are all of the State Parks and Monuments.I am used to LA, where it costs $25 to park for anything. I was able to use the money I budgeted for parking for shopping and dining. Nice indeed. This last picture is from China Pavilion Fine Chinese Cuisine. We had dim sum there.

We had pork and shrimp shu mai, BBQ pork steamed buns, chicken curry puff pastries, eggplant stuffed with pork, and honey roasted duck. Yum.

Tomorrow is travel and reuniting with my darling Elli. I'll see you all around the bend sometime!!!

Shopping in Santa Barbara!!!!

First, a few more shots of our hotel, the Encina Lodge by Best Western. It's in a fairly lush and green garden type setting. The drought is well publicized and the hotel takes every possible conservation precaution.

      Along with the pool, there is a separate whirlpool/hot tub. Here is the path leading to it.

                                   It has a nice Mexican mural across the back wall.

Next to that is the fitness center. It's small and rudimentary, but it has 3 machines, a weight bench and weights, a TV, and water and towels. Everything you need and want. I haven't used it - we have been walking a lot.

Finally, the pool. On Saturday evening, lots of people were there. There is a restaurant, the Live Oak, that serves poolside, room service, and the dining room.

Now, the tease. Onto the shopping!!! Other than the Paloma Picasso belt that I bought in Carpinteria, I only bought things at two stores. By the way the PP belt retails for $45 on Etsy, and I paid $4.20.

So the first store I made a purchase at was called Jessica Fine Consignment. I got a blouse made by Express Portofino. I paid $18. On the website, the paisley blouse sells for $59.

I also got a pair of Dollhouse wedges. The closest comparison I could find was at Charlotte Russe, a teenager store, and they were $29.99. I don't care, I like them.I paid $12.

The other store was a charity enterprise called Unity Shoppes. I asked the salesgirl and she said that it's a local charity that helps distressed families with food and shelter. They had an impressive inventory of really nice stuff, and the prices were incredible. I always find that shops associated with a charity have the best donations.

I got quite a few items there. First is a purse. I can't find a similar item for comparison on the Internet, but this is a sweet ethnic piece and was only $5.

Then I got a knit sheath dress made by Shelby and Palmer. The comparison price is $65, although it appears that they are no longer in business. This dress is a thick double knit with an orange yoke, a black hem, and a reptile body. I paid $10.

Also for $10, there was this chiffon Patra suit. It has a gorgeous flowy tunic, with an embellished neckline. It came with a skirt, which will need a lot of alterations for me to wear.

They are sold at Nordstrom and Macy's, and retail fro $208. It's very classy and elegant.


Next, are the two finds of the day!!! First, I  paid $5 for this heavy polyester jersey knit dress by Donna Morgan. It has ruching on the side, and a faux tie belt.

The retail for this is $118. I can't wait to wear this one. The silhouette is marvelous.


Finally, I also paid $5 for this BCBG MAx Azria dress. It retails for $398 !!!!!

It has a fitted skirt made of woven material and a thin navy belt.

The top is green polyester satin charmeuse, and is has a pussy bow neckline with cold shoulders.

I am happy it's polyester. It feels like silk, but poly is so much more easy to care for.

Well, tomorrow we are off to Isla Vista and then Montecito. Stay tuned for more shenanigans. I will leave you with a picture of me in front of the finch cage.

PS. The squinty pig-like eyes are due to the hour, the lack of makeup, and a caffiene deficiency. Be kind, my friends. Bye now!!!!