BOATS FROM MY BALCONY

The vintage couple headed out west again this fall to escape the tundra - but our plans were significantly different from previous years when we just talked about moving to California some day.  We decided that this would be the year for a long term rental in San Diego - the first step of our big move.   Coronado was our first choice. If we couldn't find anything suitable we planned to move on up the coast until we found something we liked. On our first day of looking, we walked in to this corner apartment in Coronado that is directly on San Diego Bay with spectacular views of downtown San Diego and the Coronado Bridge.  We rented it immediately. It's actually the only place we looked at.  It was unfurnished and we had no furniture -  now that required some fast action because we needed to move in two weeks. 
Well I'm happy to report that we made the move with the necessary furniture (like a bed) all arriving on the day we moved in.  So far we are delighted.  Here are a few of the cool boats (or ships)  that pass by on a daily basis - boat watching has become my favorite new pastime. 

 

USS SAN DIEGO (Anna was a consultant on the construction)

USNS NAVAJO

SAILBOAT

KAYAKS

HORNBLOWER

 

VINTAGE HOMES OF MERCED, CA

ANNA & SUE AT THE BEAR CREEK INN

 

I  recently had the privilege of accompanying Anna, (the classy career girl)  to Merced for a speaking engagement at the University of California, Merced.  The school is a few miles from the city center and surrounded by the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley in northern California which makes for a lovely setting. 

COTTAGE - BEAR CREEK INN

   We stayed at a lovely B&B called The Hooper House - Bear Creek Inn.   Classy reserved the cottage next door which was very comfortable and spacious.               

A book I discovered at the B&B titled  Homes of Old Merced  by Henry DePertuis was the inspiration for these photos:  

HENDERSON HOUSE



MERCED DOOR

 

RAWLINS, WYOMING USA - WILD WEST

FERRIS MANSION RAWLINS WY

It's fall in Minnesota, and we are joyfully heading to San Diego, California for the winter (and maybe forever).   Our road trip will require a stop in Des Moines, Iowa this year.  Ben, our traveling son who has kept our lives very interesting, has taken up residence in Des Moines for the next year or so.  He is enjoying his new job and we had a great visit.  From here we headed through Nebraska and stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming. 

WYOMING STATE PENITENTIARY

 The next morning I had time to explore while Ron worked.  Rawlins is an old mining town which was outlaw heaven back in the 1800s.  This formerly wild town was frequented by dozens of famous outlaws including Butch Cassidy who spent time in the old Wyoming Frontier Prison located here.  The prison was closed in 1981 but still offers daily tours. 

RIFLEMAN CLUB BAR 6AM-3AM DAILY

There is a bar called Rifleman Club in Rawlins which I found rather interesting because it is "open from 6am to 3am daily" according to the front sign.   From the sounds of the place at 9am I think it was hopping at 6am like the sign says. I really regret not stepping in to see what was going on at 9 am - maybe next time. 

BUCKS

 Buck's for dinner is also unique to this area - the food is great and plentiful and one could read the signs and look at the memorabilia for hours.  

RAWLINS TRAIN DEPOT

OLD GARAGE IN RAWLINS



WYOMING STATE PENITENTIARY IN BACKGROUND

Our road trip continued through Wyoming which is great for antelope viewing and unusual rock formations.  
   

  

"AT THE LAKE" IN MINNESOTA

If you live in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul it is quite common to make an escape up to northern Minnesota whenever the opportunity exists.The opportunity presented itself when my childhood friend and her husband invited us to spend a weekend at their lovely home on Lake Hubert (one of the 10,000 lakes in the state).We packed up on Friday night and hit the road and stopped for dinner along the way. We had to put up with some heavy traffic which is typical during rush hour and especially on Friday during the mass exodus from the cities. 

We were greeted by our old friends at their lovely home on the lake which they share with their children. The next morning we were introduced to Jean and Dave's morning routine of an eight mile bike ride around the lake and a stop for coffee and donuts at  Schaefers Foods.   From what we could tell the stop includes lots of schmoozing with the other summer residents. Of course, I didn't realize my best friend from kindergarten has become a jock - there was no way I could keep up with her on the bike (or on the stand up paddle boards which she sleekly cruises around the lake on).

We stopped for fresh sweet corn and cooked it up with some fresh salmon (fresh walleye is more typical in MN) for a meal and also went to the popular  Bar Harbor  Supper Club for dinner on Saturday night. The prime rib at Bar Harbor is great and so is the lake view.  Gull Lake is the larger lake in the area with places with docks so boaters can stop can enjoy and meal or drink along the way (a bit like Lake Minnetonka). We also noticed a big crowd at Zorbas on Cross Lake.

I have included photos of some things are typical of the cabins and lake homes in Minnesota like hammocks (between two trees are the best), outside fire pit (for smores), fishing boat, dock and an outhouse (whoops that was in the old days). Noticeably missing is the MOSQUITO because I did not see one. Another thing that is quite common is the fact that lake homes are passed down from generation to generation. Of course, this can also lead to problems like who is responsible for what and whose turn it is to use the place but I won't go into that. I

VINTAGE DOORS OF PARIS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY VINTAGE HUSBAND

I've been wishing my husband  Happy Birthday all day, however, whatever I say could never compare to this inspirational birthday greeting posted by his daughter the Classy Career Girl.   I will share it with you now: 

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Personal Marketing Tips From Dad Posted: 20 Jul 2012 08:08 AM PDT In honor of my dad’s birthday today (Happy birthday dad!), I wanted to share with you one simple personal marketing and branding tip that I have learned from my father. My dad is quiet and introverted (just like me) so people that only know this about him would never think that he would want to be on television someday. Well this is my dad on television. Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week show in September 1979. How did he get himself on television. He called up the show’s producers, told him how much he rocked and why Louis Rukeyser should interview him on his show. They said OK and he was on his way to be interviewed. My dad is really smart and he has this amazing stock trading system that you can learn more about on his blog, GoldBondStocks.com. If you use his system and improve your rate of return, he suggests you donate 25% of your improved profits to the charity of your choice. I tried to give my dad some tips about growing a blog and how it takes time and you have to do a lot of commenting and interacting with other bloggers, etc. I asked him how he was going to grow his blog. He said that he is just going to call up NBC or CNN and get interviewed and that is what I should be doing with my blog too. My dad has already envisioned himself and me being interviewed on a national television show. My dad has taught me to think bigger. Although I am comfortable where I am at, there is no stopping what I can do in the future and if I can envision myself being interviewed on the Today Show, it is a lot more likely to happen someday. As you probably already know, this is Warren Buffett. My dad has sent him letters and called to speak with him personally about his stock system. At this point, he has a great relationship with Warren’s receptionist but I am confident that someday he will be talking directly to the man himself. My dad has taught me to start at the top. Think of your biggest goal or dream, work your butt off and go for it. Thanks dad for teaching me to dream big.

VINTAGE STYLES - MARCHE D'ALIGRE PARIS

FLEA MARKET WITH EVERYTHING

My recent trip to  Paris included morning visits to the famous Marche D/Aligre Market. - located behind the Bastille between the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine and the Rue de Charenton.  It is a great place because it is lively, colorful and surrounded by interesting shops and restaurants. Of course, it was full of a variety of items including old books and odd items , food stalls, however,  most of my shared photos are of the Vintage Styles that I find so entertaining.   (Now that the Vintage traveler is back home she plans to seek out some Vintage styles in Minnesota - wish her luck.)

COVERED MARKET
MARCHE BEAUVAU