Sunsets and Stoplights

  I can't help myself.... when I see a sunset over the ocean I have to take photos. It just is so beautiful that it needs to be recorded. Dave doesn't understand my obsession so he was way ahead of me on our beach walk tonight! Dave's current obsession is stoplights and how much of his life is spent sitting at the red lights! There is an over abundance of stoplights and certain times of the day are really bad. But it is pretty cool how you can do u turns at most intersections- very helpful when you are just a bit lost. We have learned never to venture out very far on Friday nights. We made the mistake of returning our rental car to the airport last Friday night.... took up most of our evening. But truly enjoying the good life in CA!
 

Wading birds

Surfers

I-5 traffic on a Friday night

Strawberry Fields Forever

 Strawberries! They are very sweet and tasty now! Dave saw the sign and started talking about fresh strawberry pie. My Mom's recipe is the best and I have made these pies every year of our marriage.









Fields as far as the eye can see.... this is about 1 1/2 miles from our apartment.
















Fresh Strawberry Pie
1 1/2 quarts strawberries
1 c.  sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c. water
1 baked pie shell
4 oz. softened cream cheese

Mash enough strawberries to equal 1 cup. mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Gradually stir in water and then mashed berries. Cook over medium heat,stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute or until becomes clear. You can add red food coloring if you want a redder sauce. Cool until barely warm. Coat cooled pie crust with cream cheese- fingers work the best! Place whole berries points up in crust. Pour sauce over berries. Chill until set.

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!!