more california dreamin'

I enjoyed a quiet breakfast Monday morning overlooking the perfectly manicured golf course at Pelican Hill. Lemon gelato and petit pain au chocolat with fresh squeezed orange juice. Not a bad way to start the day.

California Dreamin' Part 2

Pelican Hill resort is located just across the highway from Crystal Cove State Park, a place so rich in history of the area, both with the "Cove-ites" who called it home and the film making industry. Check out the link if you have time. The historic district is especially interesting. Here you can see a few of the cabins that make up a small portion of the historic area of the park.

Many of the cove-ites built their cabins out of the flotsam and jetsam that washed ashore from local shipwrecks. Much of the vegetation planted near the beach is left over from movie makers - they'd come in, create the necessary landscape for their film and when they wrapped, they left their jungles behind.
For more reading about Crystal Cove Cottages, read Karen Steen's book by the same title.

The rocks that dotted the beaches of Crystal Cove were so interesting - I've never seen rocks teeming with life and layers. They added to the beauty of these unique beaches.

One of the most fascinating things about the rocks on the beach were the tide pools carved out by the surf. The walls were dotted with anemones, the floor crawling with tiny crabs and other creepies. We could have watched these living aquariums for hours.

I wanted to touch the feathery anemones but was afraid they were poisonous or more prickly than they looked!

This was one of my favorite days in southern California. Just walking along with Ken, enjoying the sights and sounds of the beach. I forget how much I love the ocean until I get there again. Probably a good thing being land-locked in central Indiana.

More soon . . .

California Dreamin' Part 1

Ken and I just got back from a business trip. Every year his company rewards their best customers with an extravagant, all expenses paid trip. And as Mrs. Management, I get to tag along.

This years location was beautiful, southern California at a brand new resort touted as the crown jewel of Irvine county (according to the LA Times), and they ain't kidding. Pelican Hill Resort is indeed a jewel, nestled in the hills between Newport and Laguna's beaches.

Ours was one of the first groups to stay there since they opened last November. The place is gorgeous. From the moment we arrived on the property we were treated like royalty and for a bunch of roofers, that ain't bad.

Patrick escorted us to our private villa and immediately apologized for the smallness of the room. We got the funny porter. And this is just the bedroom:

The suite was so luxurious - beautifully designed and decorated with an attention to detail I've seen in very few places.

It wasn't hard to just sit back and enjoy the room but it was a business trip and there was work to be done. Turns out my job was to enjoy some of California's fine wine and gourmet dining at the Pelican Grill. It was a lovely evening. Ken and I walked hand in hand back to our room where we fell asleep under the glow of a crackling fire.

California. Good.

Part two . . .