Sweet 16 !

 Before I tell you the secret behind the title of this post, let's check out some outfits. On December 12th, I wore a red print silk blouse and some black cigarette slacks from Bebe. To complete this very chic outfit, I wore black suede pumps with a red taffeta rose trim from Sesto Meucci and my vintage Karen Lawrence brocade and fur jacket as accompaniments.

On December 13th, I wore a vintage grey skirt that has lace godets as pleats. On top, A grey leopard print sweater from INC. It has pearl buttons and an ornate pearl trim collar. I wore black suede boots from Sam Edelman with this - these boots are in heavy rotation.

On December 14th, I had some kind of work party to go to, but there were so many that I forget the exact theme of this one. I wore a red scuba dress with a black sweater from INC that has Chinese embroidery at the stand-up collar. I paired some of the usual black and gold accessories with this dress.

On December 15th, we had a Christmas breakfast for all the epidemiologists from the three hospitals in our network. I got to see some of my friends that I don't see too often. I wore a sweater from Aquazurra that I found at the swap meet on a 3 for $10 table. I knew the brand was in the luxury category and the tags were still on the sweater. When I got home and looked up the retail price, it was $895 !! Score!! I wore it with a pearlized gold leather skirt from INC and an Oriental style vintage jacket that I got at Savers for $5.49. I had just about given up on finding a great deal that trip when I saw this jacket on a rack by itself. They matched perfectly!

Later that day, Pandi and I made the kids' Christmas bags. She inspected the goodies.

This is Calista's bag.

This haul is for Preston. I got him a German Shepherd Dog ornament since he has two beautiful dogs of his own.

And this group is for Benjamin and Joseph.

All packed up !

Of course, our herd of mutts got stockings hung by the chimney with care!

Our neighbors, Rhonda and David, have a Christmas party every year. I wore my green satin print dress from TopShop via Nordstrom.

Back to work on December 19th. I wore a brocade skirt from Ann Taylor and another sweater from the 3 for $10 table. I wore my Eric Bloodaxe coin necklace and a grey sharkskin jacket from Gunne Sax with this combo.

On December 20th, another brocade skirt, this time from Mossimo. On top, a black cashmere turtleneck and a vintage slinky knit long topper with sparkly black bugle bead trim. I found this vintage beauty in Palm Springs.

On December 21st, we had our hospital-wide Christmas lunch. I wore my favorite holiday dress from Calvin Klein. I wear this dress every year to some occasion - last year it was midnight Mass. On top, a tweed coat with gold lurex and chain link trim along the collar and front.

This year, we went to a carol service on Christmas Eve. It was at 4PM. I was hoping that we wouldn't be the only ones there, but it was packed!! I wore another sparkly skirt - plaid with gold lurex. The gold lurex turtleneck is from Style and Co.

Now for the title of this post. On Christmas Day, Luke treated us to a stay at the Crystal Cove Cottages. The Cove is located in Newport Coast. There are forty-six cottages, originally built from 1930 to 1950. Twenty-nine of them have been restored to their original era in every detail. They are in the Register of Historic Places. The Cove is comprised of 2400 acres in the unspoiled and undeveloped Moro Canyon watershed, a National Natural Landmark.

During WW2, servicemen with dogs patrolled the beaches between Newport and Laguna, looking for rogue attack submarines attempting to send enemy soldiers on shore. They also practiced military maneuvers, "taking" the Cove as if it were enemy territory. A military squadron was stationed at the former Japanese Language School, which was located in Cottage 34. The area near the cove was used by our Japanese population to grow crops, which grew readily in the fertile SoCal soil. Many of them were imprisoned during the war. The cottages are now used to house the visitors of this beautiful Southern California landmark. The fee is around $350 per night, but it sleeps seven, making it very affordable.

Here we are, checking in.

This is the view from the deck of the office. Doc, Win, Mimi, Luke, Ashley, Preston, and me made up the group. 

The attraction has three miles of rocky beach coastline and tide pools. A day pass is $15, and you get access to the beach, the tidepools, the restaurants, and the shops. A shuttle bus will ferry you from the parking lot to the village bus stop, or you can traverse the trail via a very cool tunnel covered in artwork.

Here are some views of the homes and condos now occupying the cliffs above. These homes are in the city of Newport Coast.

It was quite a hike from the office to Cottage 16, also known as Sand Castle Cottage. There is a nice shuttle service to take you and your belongings and guests down to the cottage.

Doc and I walked down there. It was a lot of steps, and it bothered my knee a bit.

This is the store. It sold art works as well as hats, T shirts, and sunglasses.

This is the soda shop, but being that it was Christmas Day, it was closed.

Here is Cottage 16 from the distance. 

There is a restaurant, called the Beach Comber, and a bar called the Boot Legger. More on these later!

There were a lot of cute holiday decorations, including a tree.

This is the Conservancy building, where you can view photos and other information about the site.

This set of stairs leads up to the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as PCH.

There was a little waterfall under this bridge. There was rain just a few days prior, but we were blessed with perfect weather.

There was a kiosk with loads of information about the community.

Cottage 16 is the second one in this picture, the closest red one. The other red one at the end was used for the Sherrif's office.

These are the tide pools. A lot of day passes are sold to families who want to see the tide pools.

This is the view looking north.

We went down and checked out the store, but it was also closed.

Laguna Beach, just a few miles to the south, was always an artists' colony, and Crystal Cove was no exception. The natural landscape and sea views provided endless inspiration. The artists painted in plein air style, with lots of land and seascapes. Artist Frank Cuprien established the Laguna Beach art Association in 1918. The most famous member was William Wendt, a notable seascape artist.

I took these shots directly into the blinding sunlight. You can see the insane beauty that lies in the sun shining on the ocean water.

As Doc and I ascended the stairs to PCH, we took pictures of the colony from the highway angle.

At the top of the stairs sits the Crystal Cove Shake Shack. We checked out the menu and plan to come back during the week sometime to have fish and chips and milkshakes. We have driven by the Shack before, and the line gets quite long in the summertime.

This is a view of all the people walking along the gorgeous coastline on Christmas Day.

Win enjoyed the balcony a great deal. Here he is, talking to Mimi.

The sunset provided an equally beautiful photography subject.

Win watched it happily from his perch.

This view is looking north to Newport Beach as the lights began to come on in that city.

Preston opened his bag of gifts. We got him a German Shepherd Dog ornament, since he has two beautiful examples of that breed, Annie and Hon.

Ashley and Mimi got cosmetic bags filled with goodies.

We had Ribeye steak, BBQ ribs, crockpot ribs, potato salad, broccoli salad, and all kinds of appetizers for dinner. Luke and Ashley cooked them all. The oven didn't work, but they were all pre-cooked, so we microwaved them. Then we played poker and 21. It was fun! 

In the morning, we went to the Boot Legger to get the famous Bloody Mary. It had a crab claw, a jumbo shrimp and a vegetable garnish of olives, gherkins, and pickled string beans. It was huge and delicious.

Then we went to the Beachcomber for breakfast. We started with hot beignets.

I had a wonderful latte.

Preston and Mimi had lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote. Ashley had bacon and eggs and Luke had Crab Eggs Benedict. Win and Doc ate leftovers back at Cottage 16.

After breakfast, we took a walk north. They were restoring more cottages up there, and they had an overflow area for the very popular restaurant. We climbed into a natural rock bowl on the way.

We came across a signpost, giving us miles to major cities.

This red cottage was my favorite.

Win welcomed us home.

Here we all are !!

Four generations of Holtzman men.

It was a wonderful experience, and we are so thankful to Luke and his family for inviting us! I got myself and Mimi a tea towel with Sand Castle Cottage on it as a souvenir.

Then it was back to work for the last two days of 2023. On Wednesday, December 27th, I wore grey pinstriped slacks from Ann Taylor with a sparkly sweater from Alfani. This is another outfit that I wear every year, and it always gets a lot of compliments.

On Thursday, December 28th, I wore a knit shift from Style and Co. It has tiny silver bead trim along the front.

Yesterday, we met my brother Bob, his partner Karin, my nephew Matt, and his girlfriend Sondra for lunch at South Coast Plaza. We ate at a restaurant called Seasons 52. I wore black slacks from Sharagano with a pearl trimmed sweater from Charter Club.

We had a few minutes to spare, so we walked around and looked at the gigantic Christmas tree. We also looked at the equally gigantic rings and necklaces at Harry Winston, Chopard, and Bloomingdale's. They were all so beautiful - my favorite was a huge diamond and tanzanite necklace.

Today, we are having Christmas with Nathan, Kim, Joseph, Benjamin, Calista, and Pandi. I will save those pictures for the next post.

I hope you all had a blessed and beautiful Christmas season, and that the New Year brings many more wonderful memories!!! See you next time.