Select Page

…..here from Chicago for the winter.  Smart folks!  Marsha and I went to grade school together and besides loving her dearly she’s my ‘go to gal’ for just about everything!  Books to read, sights to see….oh it’s a long list.

I took Amtrak to Santa Ana where Marsha and Stu met me and it was off to our adventure!

074

Here’s the darling house they’re renting on Balboa Island.

075

Hi Marsha….Hi Stu….

077

One of the bedrooms, obviously for the kiddies……had the cutest bunk bed…..

081

Yes, bedrooms and ‘stuff’ on every floor……

082

Everything had a nautical theme….even these stained glass windows.

083

There was a roof deck upstairs and this cute space downstairs.

084

Marsha & I took a delightful stroll…….

085

….and encountered this great fellow…..he loved being petted……

086

Here’s his soulful buddy…..

088

Bye for now…….

089

Saw lots of Labradoodles….actually it seemed like Labradoodle Central!

090

Off we went to ‘Pelican Hill’ on the coast of Newport Beach.  This is where we left reality completely….

First stop was lunch at the Coliseum whose terrace overlooks the most gynormous pool I have ever seen.

091

I guess my shadow is covering this beautiful salmon…..with yummy kale salad…..

096

This was too complicated to explain…..

097

Hi Marsha…..

098

Yummy bread pudding and of course….ice cream….

099

Can you get an idea how enormous the pool is?  Look how small these people are and I couldn’t get the whole pool in the shot.  Gosh, they should have a life guard with rafts in the middle of this thing.

You can see part of the golf course…..there are two full sized permanent greens designed by Tom Fazio and they’re VERY challenging….golfers call it ‘scary fun’!

100

Next stop, Marsha & I wanted to see the main section of the complex in all it’s Palladian style grandeur. Oh driver……

101

A section of the Pelican Grill…..

102

One of the many terraces…..

103

…..again, the Pelican Grill…..

107

Then it was off to see the practice green….

108

See if you can miss the sand traps…..

109

I now know a little bit about golf ‘addicts’.  Stu would have been content to stay here for an hour or so just watching golfers do their practice shots….he even photographed it.  Now there’s a golfer!

111

Back to the ‘Cafe’.  Gelato anyone???

112

Espresso please……

113

….and I’ll have one of those thingies……

115

So cute!

118

The view from the Cafe…….

119

Temptation everywhere…..

120

A section of the main building…..

121

Andrea Ristorante…….

122

On the road again….this time Corona del Mar and another Labradoodle ready for his close up.

126

A perfect day……

129

Hi you two, don’t I know you???

132

Awwwwwwwwwwwww…………………

134

Bye doodlepuss……..

136

No time for shopping……

137

….because we’re taking the two minute ferry to Balboa…..from Balboa….it’s confusing…..

139

Bikers on the ferry……

140

Wave at the other ferry……see the car???….get out of the car and feel the breeze…..

143

That’s more like it….

142

Perfect……

145

See, back to Balboa Island from….you guessed it!

146

The day would not be complete without some salt water taffy…..

148

I was on an immediate sugar high the moment we stepped in here…..

149

I was trying to photograph this dog all afternoon…well almost.  Everytime I got a shot his owner led him around a corner and after a while I was beginning to feel like a stalker.  Finally, when we were about to go back to Santa Ana, there he was! I wanted to get a side view but my iPhone went completely dead….wonder why.

151

Thank you Marsha and Stu for the most perfect day and for the delicious cupcakes!

155 

Beautiful too!

156

See……

158

And of course I had to bring home a treat for you know who.

160

Pin It on Pinterest