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Crystal Cove {twice in one year} Whoop, Whoop!

We are LUCKY Ducks....it could not of been more perfect, the timing...coinsiding with my BFF's birthday we were able to take advantage of a cancelation at The Crystal Cove Cottages AGAIN. Remember my first post on July 4th and here about the Historical Museums then about the Beaches Movie, that was filmed in this special slice of beachy life....yep my BFF {who reminds me of Claire Dumphy }.. who like Claire doesn't give up ...is very, very persistant, she was able to book us a Crystal Cove Cottage to get away for a girls getaway weekend to Celebrate Mary's 48th Birthday, whoop, whoop!!

This is the check in area....not our cabin, ours was right on the beach not up on the cliff...

We arrived right when the sun was going down over Catalina Island....what a beautiful sunset....

We stayed at the Shell Shack...each of the Cottages have a ceramic plaque with it's name and number on it....

It has a long wide front porch and a back patio for BBQing...

Great looking teak chairs {matches the one on my porch}, well come on in..

to the left we have a small living room with a sofabed to accomodate more guests...above the sofabed is an original shell art picture...

To the right of the door is an antique brass bed....I was the lucky duck getting to sleep on it.....I love me an antique iron bed...

Walking past the brass bed we come into the dining room with a farmhouse table and bench great for dinner or playing board games {there is no TV or computers} which I LOVE about The Cottages, no phone although we did have our iphones...

Pass the dining room table you have another door to the wrap around porch and back patio then the bathroom in the corner of the cottage...Look at all that beautiful wood...but I think I'd paint it all a creamy white leaving some wood beams exposed.

The bathroom with fresh white towels for the guests.

On the other side of the bathroom is the vintage kitchen...complete with Big Chill frig...{I covet this frig }

Taking early morning walks after Coffee on the beach...it was a beautiful day...I saw some kids in swim trunks in the ocean....

It was not as crowded like the 4th...but the weather was better!!   November in California.  That's why we love it here...

This area is phase III,  there are about 15-20 cottages awaiting to be refurbished.  We imagine what it would of been like to be living during this time..the 20's and 30's drinking cocktails {not wine} wearing vintage swimsuits and enjoying unspoiled California and the beaches. 

This is a recreated museum in the time and place the Cottages was in it's heyday..

the museum has an Hawaiiana theme going on, the prints, the bamboo furniture...

An Ice Cream maker in Robins Egg blue {oh I wanted that}......and other odd old items....in a vintage kitchen.

Love that saying....

It was so nice to get away and stroll on the beach and then after we checked out we headed to..........my favorite Garden/Gift store on the coast.....can you guess which one?   

 

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Our annual trip to Carp...

Every year we go to Carpenteria, i dream of retiring to a cute little beach house over looking the pacific ocean..just like this one.

I mean...who wouldn't want to live here right?  If you have never heard of Carpenteria, it is a very quaint, sleepy beach town just a bit south of Santa Barbara.   There are quite a lot of small beach bungalows to feast your eyes on, if you are like me and are content with the small and the cute cottage-style home.

...love her color...so calming...so robin's egg blue..so me!

Now...look at that fish sculpture..."give the neighbors something to talk about"....

this one with the cute picket fence has cute dormers and a brick porch..

tudor style with charming windows...

Last time we were here this was a Bed and Breakfast....now it is some lucky duck home...

this is the Linden House which was a charming store last time we came to Carp ..now it is a Vacation Rental..go here to see the inside.

petite and cute..

charming little shell gift shop...

the girls loved shopping in here, lots of trinkets to take home to remember their trip by...

lots and lots of antique stores....

this one had a cool looking abalone, shell chandelier...great for a beach house

this was the only store i bought anything in....but i did ask the owner to buy..

this Dutch Door too...she politely declined....boo hoo...

it came complete with a shelf attached to the back....

here is the other Whimsy store on the main street....

this was a really cool looking cupcake store...

it was decorated very industial chic with cement floors and lots of galvanized steel stools and pretty cupcakes..I wondered to myself if they have been on Cupcake Wars, do you watch that show?  We do!! 

So i do think if we ending up retiring to Carp {that's what the locals call it} I'll get myself a Vespa like this to tootle around town....

this is really, really small town livin'...this was all the traffic on a Saturday afternoon....Stores close early which my mini shoppers found out. 

 

Remember the movie BEACHES?

 

 

 

 

Yep..that is the movie that was filmed in the cutest little cottage in Crystal Cove.....

Each of the cottages have these cute li'l ceramic plaques on the cottages..

Come on in...let's take a look around the cottage....

You can rent the little shingled cottage for special events...

I can just see CC Bloom and Hillary sitting here in the adirondack chairs on the porch, looking out at the ocean..can't you?  That was  great movie and I want to rent it to show my girls.....they don't make movies like that these days do they? What a tear jerker though...

I do think they needed to plant some flowers in this flower bed...I think I would love to be on the board that is responsible for reconstructing the cottages...what a dream that would be.  I'd love to shop for vintage furnishings and decide what paint colors the walls need to be painted....wouldn't that be an awesome job?!!  

 I think all the cottages need a potted plant near each door....

climbing roses on the fence here....

this is the entrance to the community bathroom...I think a hanging wicker basket full of colorful flowers..would be fantastic...

Here we are headed up to our Cottage called...

Sunset Bungalow..you can see an awesome sunrise or sunset..

Right from this vintage iron bed...at night we could hear the waves crashing on the beach..nothing is more soothing and relaxing than that!

Here is the vintage petite stove {display only}...we had one like this growing up but it had a grill in the middle....I have great memories of my parents cooking great meals on it...

Vintage-looking frig, I would love one of these in my own kitchen as well as a bigger size of the O'Keefe and Merit stove or Wedgewood {i'm on the prowl for one} when we redo our kitchen. 

This cottage kitchen was done all in pink...so very quaint. I would love to see some vintage aprons hanging on the wall for effect...but I don't think I'd paint my own kitchen pink....but you never know!  In this cottage it is perfect!

This is the side door into the bungalow...all cottages have hand held brooms to sweep off sandy feet.

Here was another white shingled cottage down the pathway....from ours.

and another with an Aloha Theme...I think there should be some planted ginger out here...huh?  or Bromiliads?  Something tropical...

Yes with the pacific ocean just outside our door...I could stay here again and hopefully will.  It was a fantastic get away....the weather was gloomy but that was ok...we had a great time...I highly recommend the Cottages IF you can get a reservation....that is the hard part they are quite popular as you can see why...you step back in time and relive a little bit of nostalgia.

Bye Cottages at Crystal Cove...hopefully we will see you soon! 

Museums of Crystal Cove

Many of the vintage cottages have been converted into museums and/or show rooms to show what some of the rental cottages look like inside.

 

There is a main central area where a couple of the buildings are replicated for you to see.  One was done in a Hawaiiana style very popular in the 3o's and 40's.

Shall we take a look inside {of course I love the vintage clawfoot tub turned into a planter}

Lots of vintage style prints and hawaiiana floral prints with bamboo.

Here is the visitor center and to the right a gift shop.

A nice little lanai...with my favorite chairs....

Cottagey style kitchen with vintage stoves...

lots of driftwood art for sale like this birdhouse and vintage signs to buy..

Daddies waiting patiently for us to shop....

California Native succulants in cute planters...like this...

a nod to the nautical theme abounds all around..

even hanging in a tree....my favorite, Japanese fishing floats...

even my feet had to join in the action.....

Do you recognize this building?  So lets play a little game if you can guess what movie this cottage was in, the first one to leave a comment that is correct I'll send you a sea cottage prize.   Good Luck..I'll reveal in my next post.

 

 

the artsy town of Laguna Beach

After walking down the path..this is the beach that greeted us at the end of the steps.....just gorgeous...

going to the right and around the corner there are tide-pools..

the waves were a bit big that day so we had to be very careful, the girls came home with some cuts...

lots of Sea Anemones in the tide-pools.....

this castle-looking-lighthouse was really neat, there is an iron door but it was "glued" shut due to rust..

My girls with their good friend...they all play soccer together....

yep..it's the beginning of spring and they are looking mighty white....

It was a gorgeous day...loved seeing the dolphins swimming by in search of fish....for lunch

Looking behind us was this gorgeous home under some construction....all I kept thinking, what do they do for a living?  How lucky are they to live here..I hope they apprecitate it...can I be your friend?

Yep their property line ran from the top of the walkway all the way to the beach...

loved the landscaping....I would love to have that view!!

Loved that old fashioned light post....trudging back up the stairs....after catching a few "sun-rays" we headed into town for some Ice Cream...

the girls were watching a Violinest, I told them they should of brought their flutes and play for tips {they have had good training from a school that gets invited to play at Carnegie Hall} so they could pay for the ice cream, at 4.50 a scoop!

Isn't that picket fence sign a riot!   This town is a bit quirky...

Who needs to go to New YORK when we have the Statue of Liberty right here on the Pacific...

We went into the Wyland Gallery....LOVE HIS WORK, wish I could afford a piece....his murals are all over Hawai'i, he lives right above his gallery, come to find out.

After our ice cream we headed into town to shop....

lots and lots of cute shops...which the girls did not fail to remind me has signs that said, "no photography allowed"....I obeyed...I'm a good girl like that.

I bet this town gets a lot more crowded in summer, but with everyone being on a different spring break schedule it was not today.

all the parking on the streets are metered so bring your change...

we had to make sure we kept track of the time so we didn't go over.....

this store was the one we spent the most time in....it had "my name" written all over it...{no pictures of inside :( , sorry}....

It had everything beachy-cottage chic in there...trust me..I'll be back for sure.  I did buy one thing that I traded one of my daughters in for....it was so cute, I could not resist....

the cottage store is on the main drag like this Tommy Bahama restaurant.. I had no idea there was a restaurant.....

I liked this building beacause of the painted wood and brick....so I took a picture...

I liked this two kids so I took a picture..oh yea..I'm supposed to like them, they are mine...

follow me....

keep going....

Isn't that a nice {lots of work }piece of ironwork that overlooks this beautiful place with the most gorgoeous view....

Love that wall!!!  just a hodge-podge of brick and stone...

aren't they cute?  we are related...

Creative, Quirky and Beautiful....

is the beach town of Laguna Beach...

Victoria beach at Laguna

We are on spring break this week and we have had really nice weather so far, but it is expected to get cloudy and rainy for the rest of the week.  We took advantage of our good fortune and headed to the beach town of Laguna Beach...

If you are not from Southern California, it a small beach town between Los Angeles and San Diego, very expensive with million dollar homes in the hills or nesteled on the shore.  Cute, quaint houses on the shore...which I could not help but snap up a few pictures of and dream of owning a house there, {yes, DREAMING in capital letters}.

Love the fragrant lavender growing on this picket fence and the charcoal shingles house.  I'll take it one please...

See how healthy that lavender is..must love the sea air...

Cute cottages up on stilts to capture gorgeous ocean views...

Made me smile to see window boxes that has beautiful, colorful flowers in them. 

My friend calls this one "Snow White's Cottage"...I can see why..

I love this one...I loved that color of shingles with the crisp white and WOW look at that view!!

here is the slate rock-way with river rock leading to the front door....

this was guarding the pathway...do you know what that is? It is a Sticks of Fire succulent, if you touch it and get the sap on your hands and touch your eyes it will burn like HELL has no fury. 

Here is the pathway that leads next to that house...so beautiful, no?  Since I took a lot of pictures I'll do another post tomorrow of the beach, a cute little turret lighthouse lookout and the cute shops we browsed in after our day at the beach...so stay tuned.

Or if the things in the Ocean are your game......

 

You'll enjoy The Long Beach Aquarium , I have been to this  place every year..........

 

with the First Graders at my girls' school, I have done several long -term {subbing} positions there and It seems that I have been lucky enough to be working when they take this annual trek to the Aquarium of the Pacific.   My first love has always been Marine Biology {thought I wanted to be a Marine Biologist during my early days in College, took a class called Island biology and got to Scuba dive in the Northern Channel Islands off of the Santa Barbara Coast} I even worked here ...while attending San Diego State University {then switching my major to Psychology which lead to a teaching credential in Hawai'i}....

Can you see the beautiful Sea Horse in the photo above...it is beautifully camouflaged in the seaweed?  So graceful, isn't' it?

 

Look at the Sawtooth Fish, which is in the Elasmabranch family...(Sharks and Rays) which moves it's nose back and forth through a school of fish to sting them and that's how it eats.   yes..that's what I do when I go through the Aquarium...I feel like I'm like the Crocodile Hunter with my excited tidbits of trivial information about the Ocean World.  Speaking of the Sharks and Rays and The Crocodile Hunter {one of  Mr. Incredible's favorite people of all time, we miss him terribly} one of the most popular exhibits is the Pools of Sharks and Rays, where you can pet them...

 

 

If you ever come out to the Los Angeles area..this is a must see you'll come face to face with some of these menacing dudes...

 

this is a Sand Tiger shark...althoughthey look scary..they aren't very aggressive.   They do have a Bull Shark in the exhibit but I didn't get a picture of it they are aggressive and they do go in brackish water and fresh water.....

 

Now...i thought this sign was funny....{my nickname is Ellie, short for Gabrielle and Mr. Incredible....well is Troy}...how cute to have some Harbor Seals named after us!!!  

 

the cutest of all the fishes in the sea......but i know i'm biased.....

My Kind of town!!!!

Let me introduce you to my Little Friend........(a town called Magnolia Springs) (click to enlarge picture)

a street lined in Oak Trees....love it.? This is downtown Magnolia Springs.? These houses are what I love..so cute.? I know I am of the minority on this earth but I'm not in love with Big Houses....I like the cute and quaint variety.? And the following houses fall into this category.....

I would love to get a hold of a porch like this, wouldn't you?? I could see lots of planted Hydrengeas out front next to the Oak Tree and hanging baskets full of dripping flowers.??I would have a hanging swing in one corner?with lots of wicker chairs and tables....?Ahhh......? Isn't that family crest neat?? I wish I would of gotten a close? up of it to see what it says but we were driving by on this shot.? Speaking of family crest..the following house has my name written all over it..

Now...I saved the best for last....this is a Bed and Breakfast...I NEED to stay here the next time we go to Alabama.....I LOVE this house...love, love, love it...do you know why???

Would this be your kind of town too?? I would love to hear from you.? Am I in the minority here or do most of you who take a look here at my blog like this kind of lifestyle?? I know I'm kind of weird because I do appreciate air conditioning BUT I think having a porch out front where you can see your neighbors walk by you begin to communicate with them with a smile then a Hello....then it seems all of a sudden you are having coffee with them or a glass of wine...that is what I want in a home lifestyle.? Yes..Magnolia Springs....you are calling my name!?? P.S.? Tucker is my Maiden name

Hey Captain...where are we going....."well Fishing of course!!"

well this here...really is the Captain...Captain Gene....is the name and Fishing is the Game..

He is the girls' Papa...he lives in Alabama...on the Magnolia River.   But today they are Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico...so what did they catch, you ask?

It's a big one!!  Come on come on.....reel it in girl..use those muscles!!  use those muscles...

(Beware...if you don't like blood...) 

It's a Spanish Mackeral...my Husband says they are a bloody fish, ya think?  Yuck...

Ok....lets go look for some gaters up the Fish River?   (on another day)

 See any Gators in there?   Nope...

But.....I'll take that house over yonder.......I can see me sittin' on the porch...with my coffee early in the morning....

Or this porch...would be fine, sipping some Lemonade....

Maybe this is Huckleberry Finn's house?  Naw...he lives on the Mississippi River not the Fish River.

 

Well...lookin' for all those Alligators has made us hungry and thirsty...so let's pull on up to this fun lil place ...lots of places to park the boat..let's pick a spot and get us some grub.

Isn't this place cute in a rustic kind of way..and the Smoothies....well doesn't this face say it all?...

Ok....Second Mate...let's get her home....................

Fairhope...one of the best cities to retire....says...some magazine....

 

  I love Fairhope, Alabama...as you can see from ALL these pictures...it is the cutest town.  It is near Mobile Bay and it spans a very big area but all these pictures are taken in the downtown area.  The pierwhere you find all kinds of fisherman..we have seen them all..from the Crab buckets they put out over the side to the throwing mets to catch mullet.   I wish we could move to Fairhope....I think I would be very happy there.  My husband can't think of moving until he is ready to retire which he will be eligible in 6 years..but that puts my oldest DD at 16 years of age..and no teenager ever wants to move at that age..missing their friends and all.  So that means we would be able to move in 10 years!!!  That seems too long for me........so meanwhile I'll imagine what it would be like to live in a quaint old town...sipping Sweet tea on one of these old historic porches.....