I’m Yearning to Travel Someplace Far Away
;)
England ~ Scotland ~ Wales ~ Ireland ~ New England ~Montreal ~ New Zealand ~ The Shire ~ Russia
I’m such a comfort traveler, not the really high adventure type. Even though I’m Russian, Russia would be my last choice because of the comfort issues of traveling there. Where would you want to go?
Ht: Bridget for the collage she made for me a while back…
Farmers Market (no apostrophe!) was created in July 1934.
In July 1934 a contingent of farmers pulled their trucks onto an expanse of empty land at the property known as Gilmore Island at the corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. They displayed their produce on the tailgates of their vehicles, to their delight, customers quickly arrived and parked their cars on a hastily created dirt parking lot in spaces designated with chalk. They strolled among the trucks purchasing fruit, vegetables and flowers.
The atmosphere was casual, the open air commerce enticing, the goods fresh, and the result remarkable. Farmers Market became an instant institution.
We met our friends from Seattle at the Original Los Angeles Farmers Market for dinner and a stroll. Luke, (one of our former pastors in Seattle), Terri and their two daughters Sophie and Greta are in L.A. for some sight seeing that will include the ultimate first time visit to Disneyland for the girls on Monday and Tuesday!
A very upscale outdoor shopping center, The Grove, has been built right next to the Old Farmers Market. We ended our visit with an elevator ride to the 8th floor of the parking garage at “The Grove” to get an aerial view of this Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles and Hollywood. We were hoping to see the famous Hollywood sign but sad but true it was too “L.A. smoggy hazy” to see it clearly! We were able to see the Griffith Park Observatory.
On our way home after our visit we were driving through a couple multi-million dollar neighborhoods and were shocked to see this eyesore on one of the street corners. We were amazed and decided to turn back to take some digital shots of this monstrocity. My photos will not give this gaudy display of bad taste justice.
There were over 14 of these statues…
Yikes! This is a beautiful neighborhood of amazingly landscaped and manicured lawns. House after house displays beautiful architecture and upkeep. I can only imagine what the immediate neighbors think. We found out later that there was a lot of TV coverage over this property and a lawsuit that the neighbors brought to try to get these statues removed. They lost their suit. The bright white wrought iron fence was added after some of the statues were defaced.
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My weekend ended with a 250 mile round-trip out to Nuevo, California for dinner and a church service that my nephews Levi and Caleb were leading worship for (Levi in the red, Caleb in the orange). A nice ending to a busy weekend. Blessings on your week ahead…
Photobucket has blacked out all my photos from their site that I used on my blog since 2007 and I’m working to update my thousands of posts.
This photo was taken in London at the Horse Guard’s Grounds during the Changing of the Queen’s Horse Guard in April of 2004
For more Photo Hunters go to T.N. Chick
Deda and Baba
Niece Michelle, Daughter Katie, and SIL Kelly
We had a family “girls night out” gathering at my parent’s apartment since Katie is here for a short visit. As usual my mother went “over the top” in preparing a wonderful meal for all of us. We were doubly blessed this time because my SIL’s Kelly and Letty were able to make it.
Sister Vera, SIL Letty, and Sister Kathy
We had Apricot Chicken, a Honeydew Spinach Salad with a wonderful mint dressing, a mixed veggie basmati rice, not to mention appetizers. Now for that fabulous cake pictured above, yummy Pistachio Cream Angel Food Cake.
The sisters enjoying a laugh. What a blessing to have loving, joyful sisters with peace between us.
Vera, Lana, Kathy and Ellen
Nana Kathy with grandson Jack. “It’s a high mountain goat.” My nieces Debbee and Melissa were there but didn’t get into a photo shoot.
My photos are being held hostage at the Photobucket site as of July 2017.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ~ “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
John 10:9 (ESV)
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
James 5:9
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Rev 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and eat with him. and he with me.”
Mathew 7:7 (NIV)
“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Katie and I arrived safe and sound today. The trip was easier than we expected. Thank you to those of you who were praying that my feet and legs wouldn’t cramp. God answered your prayers! Not one cramp in the 20 hours of driving. Of all the books on cd that we took our #1 favorite was Jeeves and the Song of Songs by P. G. Wodehouse. Funny and very entertaining. We enjoyed one of the Barchester Chronicles and Book 5 of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Today we listened to Meet Me at the Morgue which was an entertaining murder mystery. We wouldn’t recommend The Vicar of Wakefield, for us it was horribly dull!
Katie took this at the border of Oregon and California.
Katie being creative…
There is a story to this mountain range. Yes, what you see is a mountain range. The smallest mountain range in the World! Dear’s Mother Verna is buried in a cemetery with these mountains in the background. Our photo is from I-5 which is the opposite view from the one below.
Yuba City’s western horizon is dominated by the Sutter Buttes, renowned for being the “Smallest Mountain Range in the World.”
The range is actually circular with a diameter of 10 miles and covers an area of about 75 square miles. The mountains are the remnants of a volcano that has been dormant for over a million years. South Butte, the highest peak is 2,117 feet above sea level. North Butte is 1,863 feet and West Butte is 1,685 feet above sea level.
Before modern levees and dams were built to contain the rivers, winter storms and spring run-off frequently turned the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea making the Sutter Buttes an island refuge for Indians, settlers and wildlife.
The Buttes have had many names over the years. The Maidu Indians called them “Histum Yani” which translates as, “Middle Mountains of the Valley” or “Spirit Mountain” … depending on the source. According to Maidu legend, after death, the spirits of their people rest in the Buttes.
Gabriel Moraga, a Spaniard trying to locate possible mission sites, was the first European to see the Sutter Buttes in 1806. Another Spaniard, Luis Arguello, led an expedition in 1817 to explore Northern California by water. He called the Buttes “Los Picachos” or the peaks. He also named the Feather River “El Rio de la Plumas”, because he saw many feathers of wild fowl floating on the water.
Other names for the Buttes were “Marysville Buttes”, “Sacramento Buttes”, and “Los Tres Picos.” They were finally named the “Sutter Buttes” in 1949.
Today, most of the Sutter Buttes is private land and not open to the public. However, you can drive through and around the Buttes. It is a beautiful drive any time of the year! Each year, in the spring, over 1,000 cyclists converge to “Bike Around the Buttes” an event sponsored by the Diabetes Society of Yuba Sutter.
If you want to experience the Buttes up close, organized group tour hikes are available. You can also play golf in the Buttes at South Ridge Golf Course, but watch out for the infamous 16th hole!
http://www.syix.com/yubacity/sutterbuttes.html
My photos are being held hostage at the Photobucket site as of July 2017.
Beautiful Snohomish in Washington State
We met up with our Great Britain walking buddies at an English Pub in Snohomish. Not only are they our walking buddies but we have had many a great traveling experience with this group of six.
An English transplant from Manchester opened this Pub over a year ago. It is called Piccadilly. We had Fish and Chips, Chicken and Veggie Pastie, Toad in the Hole, and Lentil Rosemary soup. Guinness on draught and good conversation. We were back in Great Britain for a couple of hours enjoying each others company.
Seattle is sizzling these days. They are threatening 97 degrees for today. That’s H-O-T for Seattle and don’t you know it’s the news here!
Photobucket is holding all the photos of mine from this post hostage as of July 2017.
We had a wonderful time with family and friends on the fourth. Check out Lana G’s picture collages taken at the party. I’m thrilled she took photos to capture the day. Fellowship, burgers, salads, gazpacho, yummy desserts and continuous games of Mexican Train the Chicken foot version. Today I’m posting photos from our Tuesday tour of downtown Seattle and beyond with my brother Leonard and his wife Mandy from Dallas.
First stop was Piroshky, Piroshky across the street from the main market and a few doors from the original Starbucks.
Here’s a little Russian lady making some of our favorites. I had the Cabbage and Onion, Dear & Mandy had the Potato and Cheese, and Leonard had the Beef and Cheese. A great way to start our tour.
We saw some fish being tossed and L & M bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Then we had some liquid refreshments with Leonard’s caramel apple.
The view of West Seattle on our way to the car.
Across town to Queen Anne Hill and Kerry Park.
This was another beautiful sunny day in Seattle.
You can even see Mt. Ranier!
We walked down to the end of the street to see the Western view across Elliot Bay.
There was a little garden where these beautiful hydrangeas were blooming…
and this lovely Dogwood variety.
Off the hill to Fremont and we discovered that the troll is still there. Unfortunately Lenin is still there, also.
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
These are my flowers from the market. They smell wonderful.
Photobucket is holding all the photos of mine from this post hostage as of July 2017.
Dear arrived last night to Seattle for two whole weeks of vacation so we have a lot of relational, family, friend, and fellowship time in store for us. My and Lana G.‘s brother Leonard and his wife Mandy arrive Sunday night to visit us all for the week. My brother Leonard is Lana’s twin and my baby brother. He’s younger than Lana by 7 minutes and me by 12 years.
If my blogging is sporadic next week you’ll know why. We are off seeing the sights, eating out, and laughing our heads off. With your head off it’s hard to post anything of importance. I wanted to show you some fun sights that we might visit. I’m sure later I’ll have some actual shots of what we did. Blessings on your week with the 4th stuck right in the middle! Oh and to my Canadian friends Happy Canada Day tomorrow!
These are the beautiful grounds of Chateau Ste Michelle, a winery very close to our home.
They offer wine tours on the hour and are a great tourist destination. There is another winery across the road called Columbia. Then next door to the Columbia Winery is the Redhook Brewery that offers tours and has a restaurant and outdoor movies in the summer. Next door to the Redhook brewery is the renowned Herbfarm Restaurant and the Willows Lodge. The restaurant serves a several course meal (different each night) paired with wines and you will probably dish out $400 per couple for the evening. Dear and I won’t be going there in this lifetime. Redhook’s a lot cheaper with sandwiches and salads, etc. 🙂
Meanwhile, back at the Chateau, you’ll see ponds and flowers and peacocks.
This is the doorway to the main entrance. If you don’t drink wine but are interested in the tour they also offer grape juice at the end of the tour of the winery.
But now let’s go to the fun neighborhood of Fremont. Close to downtown Seattle and just across the Fremont bridge from Seattle Pacific University.
This is our famous troll that lives under the Aurora bridge. It’s huge. That’s an actual VW bug that it has it’s hand over. These are 3 of my nephews posing…
Why on earth does Fremont have the largest statue in the U.S. of the worst Russian leader of all time?!
This is Kerry Park where you can see this famous view of Seattle and Elliot Bay. This was taken in the Fall. If we’d step to the left about 4 feet you could see more of downtown!
This is the Edmond’s Ferry Dock (I stole this photo from my son’s blog). We have several ferry routes around the area that you can take to the Olympic Peninsula or many of the Washington Islands. Being surrounded by water, islands, and mountains makes Seattle unique and a great adventure. So make sure you put Seattle on your list of destinations to visit before you die. Come in July or August if you want more sunshine!
Photobucket is holding all the photos of mine from this post hostage as of July 2017.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 