Contrasts

  I will set the scene.... brilliant sunshine, clear blue sky, slight breeze, 59 degrees and right along the ocean.... The contrast in how people dress is very entertaining! On my walk this morning I saw someone dressed in shorts, tank top and flip flops.... and the other extreme was long wool coat, jeans, Uggs, and a fleece hat with ear flaps! Dave claims that after I have been out here for a while I will be the wimpy person overdressed.
   Strawberry season comes early here- bought some at a farm stand, they still need a little more time- they were NOT as good as Wisconsin strawberries. The Fallbrook avocados are amazing and make excellent guacamole.
  We saw house number #28 today.... now Dave has decided he may not need so much land! This one had 2 acres which would need more landscaping and lots of irrigation. It was a nice setting and it did have a pool.  You will all be informed once we actually make an offer on a house and it is accepted.... Getting weary and very jaded with this house hunting. We will need to sign a rental lease soon if we don't find a house since we will be homeless as of March 1st! Oh well, everything else about this move has fallen into place so something will work out.
  Speaking of moving.... I am very sad that I am not in Waukesha to see Tristan leave home again. He leaves in the morning for Lincoln,NE and a job in his field!! We have loved having him home since he graduated in May and the tears will really flow when I go back for the final move and he is gone. Sniff... We nurture and raise our children to some day be independent and leave the nest but it is hard to say goodbye to those years. I do love this stage of life and seeing our children realize their dreams but I would love to hold them as toddlers one more time :) I really feel for Nikelle who is now the only Garner left in Waukesha. Shane is only home weekends until March.
  We had a lovely evening in Fallbrook after house shopping. Our new friends Duane and Verla B. went to dinner with us and even looked at 2 of our houses with us. It was good to have a second opinion. We feel very well cared for and welcome in our new home. now to find our dwelling place. Dave doesn't think his company will pay for our temporary housing forever! Goodnight from the west coast!

New adventures

Along the coast in Carlsbad is a beautiful place to take a morning walk....

A familiar sight- I thought it was a bit discriminatory that there were signs  instructing me not to feed the ground squirrels!

This fellow stalked me as soon as I sat down and opened my string cheese

This fine fellow discovered the mineral springs in Carlsbad.  

So this water apparently is sort of like the fountain of youth. Water is a big thing here in CA- so much water in the ocean but nothing to drink!

The same day I headed to the ritzy La Jolla area to meet up with a friend from Wisconsin.

This is like a big maternity ward- now is the season for giving birth. All the very pregnant women just loll around in the sun waiting for their time!

This little pup was born a little premature just 1 day ago.

Lois exploring the tide pools

Patterns in the sand

Beautiful La Jolla sunset

Lois and me dining in a little Thai restaurant


So today's activity was a hike in the Elfin Forrest Recreational Area with some of my new SD friends.  I felt like a total wimp since I was pretty sure a heart attack was in my near future!  But they were very kind and told me to take my time and I would get used to it.  The view at the top was worth the effort to get there.

Christina, Jeanette and the newbie at the summit.

Ocean view

My hiking buddies

The way down

Just to give you an idea of the incline!

 That pretty much wraps up what I did while Dave was off to Puerto Rico for work. The house we were interested in fell off the market so back to square one. Very discouraging!  We are considering renting a 2 bedroom apt in this complex so we aren't homeless when March 1st rolls around. It is a great location and the pools are gorgeous so we may survive!

Beach musings

When walking the beach yesterday morning I was contemplating all the positive things about my new city.... these are in no particular order just random thoughts which shows you how my mind works!

1. The weather
2. The sunny weather
3. No snow and ice or below zero wind chill
4. Did I mention the weather?
5. All the tropical vegetation and flowering bushes and plants. Citrus and avocado groves.
6. THE OCEAN!!!
7. The smell of the ocean,sound of the waves and the sand between my toes
8. Harbor seals
9. The people- I always thought the Midwest had friendly people but let me tell you these Southern CA folks are really friendly.
10. Being able to drive really fast legally
11. Polite drivers- Chicago drivers should take lessons from CA. No horn blowing or "birds"!
12. Stucco houses
13. Several Trader Joe's
14. All the hills and beautiful views from those hills.
15. No bugs- haven't seen any yet...
16. Sunsets over the ocean
17. The craggy coastline
18. Fresh seafood  and so on.....

Foreign fruit

This house has the most potential out of the 25 houses we have toured. It has most of our criteria so we shall see-not putting an offer on it at this time. It is a ranch with nice sized rooms, 4 bdrms, office, west facing patio, 2 car garage, bonus room, well maintained and the price is in our range...

The house is in Fallbrook hidden behind this gate. We aren't sure if these gates are to keep us in or the rifraff out!

We ate at this "local color" Mexican restaurant in Fallbrook.

The beautiful hills around Fallbrook.

Citrus and avocado groves abound.

Local fruits- avocados @ $0.50 each, clementine and pomelo. The pomelo is an overgrown grapefruit without any bitterness and a really thick rind. 

After spending the day driving around Fallbrook and parts to the north we went to see this wonderful family. It was nice to hear their perspective on CA and get some tips. They are originally Midwesterners like us! Their other son is away at college. Thanks for all of the insight into life in Southern Cali! 

California Day #3

   The day started much like the last 2- the sun remembers to appear and shine brightly every day. A brisk uphill walk- I have discovered that the trick to walking out here is to go uphill while you still have the strength and then coast home! When I say uphill I mean REALLY uphill!

  Then a little retail therapy- there seems to be a few things every day that we realize we need. Maybe I should have said what I want- really have been missing our single brew coffee maker..... I figure this cute new Keurig can be in our guest room when we find a house.

   One of my gifts from my co workers was a Barnes & Noble gift card so now I can learn the totally different plants that grow here.

   Then a little vitamin D therapy... only person at the pool. And then off on a field trip to Fallbrook since yesterday's house hunting wasn't successful. Fallbrook is quite a bit north but it feels more like "the country" which seems to be what Dave is craving. California lot sizes are often listed in sq. ft. NOT acres. It is just the way it is here but a shock to the guy who grew up surrounded by the soybean and corn fields of Illinois. We saw many sights and narrowed our search down to 2 houses we would like to see. It is very hilly in Fallbrook and the sun was setting over the hills when we left. Saw signs for 20 avocados for $5!!

First day in a foreign land!

    So when do we become residents of California?  My friend Cathy lived in the USA for many years as a "resident alien" before becoming a citizen. All we have in CA is 6 suitcases of clothes, multiple pairs of flip flops/sandals, 1 set of golf clubs, and 3 computers.... and all the rest is in Wisconsin. The Mini Cooper is somewhere between WI and CA. That being said- I believe we qualify as "resident aliens".
   Well, the first full day here in Carlsbad began with waking up 2 hrs before the sun due to the time difference. We had a nice stroll outside and then Dave set up his office at the kitchen table. I headed off to explore stores to gather food and household supplies. Explored Costco to check out if I want to join... then to Bath and Bodyworks ( can't survive without those soaps,lotions,etc), Bed, B, B, Trader Joes (yeh!) and Target (very familiar ground). Then we had to haul it all up 2 flights of stairs-good thing we are still young! Then off to meet with the realtor and out for a seafood dinner. This is why I haven't been to the pool or the ocean yet-such a crime!
  Today I looked at 7 houses with the realtor while Dave slaved away at the kitchen table/office. I narrowed those down to 2 possible homes so we will go back and take Dave along. Excited that Bible study tonight will include seeing Jacinda! A familiar face from back home- oops- our former home.

All we have in CA besides each other! 

The table was prettily set for us when we arrived.  Now it is an office!

Brand new bed

Our "great room" otherwise known as Kristi's space

View from our balcony

If you look really close you can see a strip of blue... I believe that is called " peek ocean view"

Dave's view from his office

A true 1 car garage!

  Our furnished apartment is like brand new and the pans haven't even been used. The patio overlooks one of the pools and has a peek ocean view also. The weather is 40's at night and 60's during the day and sunny :)

Our meeting

Brian and Heather

Tim and Marleah

Dale, Karli, Meika and Nadia

Johnson, Rinku, Apoorva and Amoolya

Richard and Barb

Dan, Wanda, Joseph and Abigail

We have had the privilege of being together as a family again in our meeting for the past 8 months.

Jess, Lana, Rochelle, Adriana, Vanessa- used to be in our meeting and came back for the last meeting. Karen and Savanna.

  Our farewell to our meeting took place mid December at a potluck hosted by Richard and Barb before they headed off to Florida. We will miss the special group that met in our home for almost 9 years. So sorry to leave this wonderful group.

More of the final weekend

   Friday night  Tim and Andrea very kindly hosted a farewell party for us. The guest list was tricky but we tried to include those people we hadn't recently spent time with and of course family. So many friends and so little time! Many more photos that could be shared....but you don't have forever!

Nieces, Nephews and Great niece Mikayla. Love these "kids"!

Sisters

Hyesoo-special friend and awesome cook....she made 200 spring rolls for us Korean food loving people.

Cheese curds of course

Brats and Packer chips

Our wonderful hostess

Carleen- friends since teenage years and we went through the trenches of child rearing together

My sister is very concerned for me-this kit contained everything I will need to survive a shark attack,wildfire,earthquake,tsunami, etc!

Linda and Andrea sang a special song to adapted to our future life in CA

Our bonus children- Ananth and Amanda. 

  To our surprise the theme was Wisconsin sport teams. So attendees were to wear something Packers, Badgers, Admirals, Brewers or all black for mourning. The food had a Wisconsin flair also: brats and cheese curds were featured! We had a royal send off and are now the proud owners of more sports items than we have ever had. We know we will be back to visit but it is the end of an era and life as cheeseheads... what are we now??? Thanks for all the memories!