Category Archives: California

Lovella’s Walking Club Tally ~ Oh the Steps I Stepped!

My new Bloggy Walking Buddy Willow and I walked everyday this week. After our regular walk on Friday afternoon Dear and I had Willow and her husband over for dinner. When I took my pedometer off for bed it registered 14,176 steps. I had a busy Friday before our afternoon walk and the steps just added up. My average steps for the week were 12,089!

Here are some dinner photos and our Saturday Beach walk collage…

 

We had a nice evening. It’s always fun to find out all the things you have in common with people you’ve just met.

Willow and her husband. Willow is enjoying one of Dear’s famous Kensington Dreams. Here’s the recipe for you, Willow. In a shaker over ice cubes, combine juice of half a lemon, 1 oz. Brandy, 1 oz. Amaretto, 2 oz. Creme de Cassis, shake and strain into water goblet then add 4oz. of Champagne. Don’t drive after you drink one. 🙂

 

Our beach walk on Saturday morning. A misty moisty morning. We saw some new wonders today. Because of the high rough surf this week there were lots of piles of driftwood and boulders thrown up onto our path. There was a lot of seaweed washed up, too. We even got down onto the sand this Saturday to explore.

 

The birds above are Marbled godwits. They use their beaks to probe the sand. They migrate to California and Mexico in flocks in Autumn from Canada.

Have a wonderful Saturday everyone and keep on walking and enjoying God’s wonders.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.

Happy Birthday Vera! Born on Leap Year Day in 1948 ~

My sister Vera was born on Leap Year Day in 1948. That means she’s 15 years old today. Well this is just the 15th time that her actual birthdate has occurred in her lifetime.

 

Vera is the one on the bottom row holding the cake. I’m next to her holding the skirt of my dress. My sister Kathy is in the top row between our cousins June and Nancy. My brother Fred is the the one in the overalls on the bottom row. My cousin Vera is next to me and my cousins Mike and Bill are in the top row as well.

 

This has to be Easter judging from the dresses and the white patent leather shoes. Vera, Kathy and Me.

 

This is Vera and me sometime in the 50’s. Fall or Winter judging from the black patent leather shoes! 🙂

 

This is a photo of the 4 of us sisters a year ago at another birthday celebration. Kathy, Lana, Vera and Ellen. We also have 4 brothers.

VERA! I hope your day is filled with love, joy and happiness. Looking forward to celebrate with you soon. Praying for God’s continued blessings in your life…

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Olivas Adobe ~ Ventura, California

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Since I have 13 photos in my collages on this post I decided to make this  my 23rd Thursday Thirteen entry.

The restored 1847 Adobe home of Raymundo Olivas stands as a monument to the rancho period of California’s history.

Born in 1809 in Los Angeles, Raymundo was the seventh child of a poor family. He joined the Mexican Army in California at the age of 16 and was assigned to the Presidio (fort) of Santa Barbara as a Lancer (cavalryman). He met his wife in Santa Barbara was married in 1832 and had 21 children -8 girls and 13 boys!

In return for his service to the State, Raymundo Olivas and his friend, Felipe Lorenzana, were granted 4,670 acres by the Mexican Governor Juan B. Alvarado. Raymundo began ranching his land in 1847. He started building this adobe home in 1847 with Chumash Indians providing the labor. The main house for the Rancho San Miguel was one of the few two story haciendas in Southern California and one of the most impressive homes in the Santa Clara River Valley.

 

For many years the Rancho prospered but droughts in the 1860’s and the death of Raymundo in 1879 was the beginning of the end for the Olivos fortune. The house was sold in 1899. After passing through many hands the Adobe was purchased by yeast king Major “Max” Fleischmann who restored the building in 1927 and built the distinctive bell archway. Upon Fleischmann’s death, the adobe was given to the city of Ventura and it opened as a museum in July, 1972

 

I’m going to go back and visit the grounds later in the Spring to visit the 100 year old fuchsias in the front yard and the 140-year old grapevine that can trace its roots to the days of Fray Junipero Serra and the missions.

I got the history information from the Historical Park brochure. They have a web site here.

For more Thursday Thirteen posts click here.

ABC Wednesday ~ F is for…

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

F is for Farmers Market where we shopped this last Saturday.

 

The Farmers Market in Old Town Camarillo, California

 

F is for fruit. We have fields of strawberries in our town and strawberry stands where we can buy them all during the week fresh from the fields when they are in season.

 

F is for flowers the more unusual and flamboyant

 

and some more fragrant flowers

We bought purple cauliflower, artichokes, brussel sprouts, and limes. (Nothing starting with F) but all very fresh and flavorful. The artichokes were wonderful. My husband likes to have his with mayonnaise and I love mine with Ranch Dressing. Yum! I made a cauliflower soup that was blended with onion and garlic. (strange to eat purple soup). It was very good.

 

This is a strawberry field near my home. This made me want to sing “Strawberry Fields Forever”

 

This is a strawberry stand in my town that sells fresh berries from the adjoining field. So luscious, sweet and juicy!

For more ABC Wednesday photos go visit Mrs. Nesbitt all the way in the UK!

Ventura Harbor ~ High Surf Advisory

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Monday I drove up to the Ventura Harbor to see the high surf that was promised because of storms in the area. The day was clear and warm for a North-westerner. The power of the waves was amazing. I wish I could have made a video with the loud crashing sound. The power of the waves produced airy foam that floated up on the shore.

 

 

I was amazed that this boat decided to head out in this surf.

 

 

 

The awesome power of God’s creation is breathtaking…

Lovella’s Walking Club Tally ~

Dear and I headed out again to Ventura to take our walk along Emma Wood State Beach. We started earlier than usual and the weather was more active today as a storm is blowing in. Here are a few of the many photos I took.

 

There were a lot more birds out today. We were the only humans out and about for a while until the groups of runners descended on us training for the Los Angeles Marathon.

 

On the way home we stopped at the Farmers Market in Camarillo on Ventura Blvd. We decided to buy some veggies for later. Lots of pretty flowers to look at, too. We bought a purple cauliflower, 2 huge artichokes, some brussel sprouts and a couple limes.

Have a wonderful day and keep on walking. Oh yes my totals were great this week because Willow and I walked an hour each day but Friday and I went on a hike and the beach walk too! 10,706 step average for the 6 days! I think hikes uphill should be double steps!

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Photo Hunters ~ Wooden

When I was at the San Buenaventura Mission last Monday I took this photo of a wooden bell that was in the museum. You can see more of my photos from the mission here.

 

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.
For more Photo Hunters click here.

Sky Watch Friday ~

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

 

This was taken at the City Hall in the City of Ventura. This is Fray Junipero Serra who founded the Mission San Buenaventura. If you are interested in seeing more photos from the Mission he founded click here. The sky was clear and blue on this Saturday.

 

This great looking tree was kitty corner from the Statue and I liked how the sky looked through the branches.

This is the tree. I’ll need to do some research to see what kind of tree it is.

For more Sky Watch Photos click here.

TT #22 ~ Mission San Buenaventura 1782

   On President’s Day I drove up to Ventura to do some thrift store shopping and I took a side trip to the Mission by the Sea. Here are 13 or more Photos from the mission. There are 21 California Missions and this Mission was the 9th Mission founded.

The founding of San Buenaventura Mission was foreshadowed well over two centuries ago on the Spanish isle of Mallorca, when a devout Franciscan priest, who was a brilliant scholar and professor of theology, earnestly prayed that he might be permitted to forsake his comfortable circumstances to take up the Lord’s work among the aborigines in the New World. The hoped-for answer to his prayers came on Palm Sunday, March 30, 1749.

Thirty-three years and one day later the zealous priest, Fray Junipero Serra- who had been subjected to painful sufferings and several brushes with death during his missionary ministry – raised the Cross at “la playa de la canal de Santa Barbara” (the beach of the Santa Barbara Channel) on Easter Morning, March 31, 1782. Assisted by Padre Pedro Benito Cambon, he celebrated a High Mass, preached on the Resurrection, and dedicated a Mission to San Buenaventura (St. Bonaventure). It had been planned as the third in the chain of twenty-one Missions founded by Padre Serra but was destined to be the ninth and last founded during his lifetime, and one of six he personally dedicated.

 

The Department of the Interior certified this Mission as a Historic Building and gave it permanent reference in the Library of Congress.

 

The front door to the Mission Chapel and Fray Junipero Serra

 

An antique confessional and other artifacts in the mission museum

 

The mission grounds and side door to the chapel

 

Inside the chapel

 

More photos from the grounds…

 

 

For more Thursday Thirteen click here.

ht: Information from Mission Brochure

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.