Here is the right side of the front porch :
And the left side:
And the total effect with the sweet Dutch door:
I bought a dracena for the inside of the house - I haven't had a lot of house plants for quite a few years, but I am starting to get back into them.
The latest rose bouquet, in a new planter from the Dollar Tree.
My roses are quiet this week, but my gladiolas stepped up to cover my bouquet needs.
I have only one outfit to show you, from May 22nd:
This tan and brown faux wrap dress is a no-name brand, but it's comfy and flattering.
I was going to give this sweater away, because the ruffly trim needs mending, but I got compliments all day long, so I guess I will fix it up.
The necklace is Cookie Lee. The dress has three ties that can be done up in a number of ways.
On Saturday, we went to a luau. I had a fabulous outfit planned, but I got the day of the party wrong. We walked by the house with the dogs, and my friend Rhonda called out to us to come in. So I just went in my workout clothes. Oh well, at least it was a fun party, as always.
Sunday was overcast and it rained a little, so I just worked in the back yard and cleaned out the garage.
On Memorial Day, my housekeeper still wanted to work, which was a blessing in disguise. We had to leave, so we went down to Dana Point. It's about 30 miles south of Huntington Beach. We took Pandi with us.
It was a little cool in the morning, but beautiful nonetheless.
The brown building is the Ocean Institute.
There were whale and dolphin watching boats leaving, as well as half-day fishing boats.
We had breakfast in a cafe down there.
I had an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Pandi sat on my lap and was a very good girl.
Doc had a western omelet with guacamole.
This little stretch of beach is called Baby Beach, because there is a shallow swimming area marked off with buoys for the little kids.
Here are Doc and Pandi on the pier.
Then we took a steep road that was marked as the "Tsunami Exit Route".
There was quite a view up in the hills on the Street of the Green Lantern.
We parked the car and walked down to a trail that led to a spectacular view point.
The trail was called the Harbor Point Conservation Park.
When I followed it down for about 5 minutes, I came upon the most beautiful view of the harbor.
Then we got back in the car, but we still had a couple of hours to stay away from home. So we stopped in San Juan Capistrano, the next town north from Dana Point. Doc wanted to look in the antique shops there.
We looked all through the big store, but Doc didn't find anything.
Pandi did get her picture taken with the pope. We walked over 12,000 steps - that's a lot for a little dog, so she was exhausted by the end of the day.
Doc wondered if any of the old houses were brothels, and if they were haunted. That's my Doc.
This is the main street. There is a mission at one end. The town reminds me of Scottsdale, only more authentic, and with better weather.
Then we walked down by the train station.
Most of these old cars have been transformed into bars and restaurants.
We noticed an area that neither one of us had been to before. It was called the Los Rios Historic District.
It turned out to be just beautiful. There were flowers and native gardens everywhere.
Some of the old adobes were converted into shops and restaurants.
This adorable property was converted into the Law Offices of Stephen Rios.
The courtyard and front garden were spectacular.
They also had a butterfly conservatory back there - we saw quite a few monarchs.
We walked up and down the pleasant streets.
See Doc and his sidekick ?
The Tea House was closed, but we may go back sometime.
This tiny house was a gift shop. It had paintings and glass works.
I loved this Victorian Ranch house.
It also had a beautiful native garden.
And in the arched gateway, there was a birdhouse that was an exact replica of the big house.
Well, it was a very pleasant, fun and relaxing weekend. Now it's back to the grind for a couple of weeks, and then I am off to Philadelphia. See you all later !!!
