Friday
3 April 2009
Welcome to Friday Fave Five!It was another busy school week at Willow's Cottage. But the weekend was highlighted by a little getaway to Long Beach, California, and I am choosing to focus my Fave Five on our weekend.
Long Beach is a large city in Los Angeles County directly south of the city of Los Angeles that kind of hides in the shadow of its mega-metropolis neighbor to the north.
When The Professor and I lived in Los Angeles, we visited Long Beach a lot. We could jump on the metro train line with our bikes and ride down to Long Beach and then bike along the beach or follow the Los Angeles River bike trail. We also attended church every Sunday in Long Beach and during the summer, a friend and I would often drive down to the Friday Long Beach Farmers Market.
Sometimes on a Saturday, The Professor and I would just hop on the train and take a walk around downtown Long Beach.
1. This weekend we didn't bring our bikes with us so we chose to walk along Ocean Avenue to Long Beach Marina and then take the trail to the harbor past the lighthouse and out to the shoreline.
2. We walked the whole harbor trail. The weather was sunny but the wind was up. Not that the sailors minded.
I sometimes wonder how many boats are moored in Long Beach Marina. Lots of them.
3. Shoreline Village is a group of shops located right in the marina. I can recommend the coffee and cinnamon shop and the yogurt and ice cream shop.
We enjoyed our afternoon immensely, making yet another memory there.
4. The main reason we were in Long Beach, though, was to attend a benefit concert by our favorite Gospel group, Firm Soundation. The group's leader Ray Sidney was, in our former lives, my school administrator. Firm Soundation are regular features at The House of Blues' Sunday Gospel Brunch in Anaheim (Disneyland), Hollywood and Las Vegas. On Saturay night, Firm Soundation was performing at a benefit dessert for Ugandan Lambs Project.5. It was great to hear first hand how Ugandan Lambs is rewriting the stories of many children in Uganda orphaned by AIDs. These children, like the young man we sponsor, now have hope and a future. If you visit the Ugandan Lambs website (see link above), click on The Children, and scroll down to the second row of photos, you'll see Daniel S. That's our boy!
35 comments:
What a wonderful Marina and pictures. And the meeting sure was for a good cause. Happy Friday :)
Shoot and I forgot to mention your boy. Very nice photo :)
I fell in love with Long beach too. It is such a pretty place and I love your photo's.
Looks like you had a wonderful time with The Professor and even more fulfilling and awesome because of your support for Daniel S and the Project.
Great Fave Five.
Happy Weekend.
Some great shots you got, there; looks like you had a good time!
Hope your week ahead is just as wonderful!!
Lovely photos, Young Daniel is a fine young man and its so good that he has a fighting chance. Jane x
Great post Willow. Love the photos!
Great post! I love the lighthouse picture. I enjoy gospel music, too. So glad you got to hear your favorite group and help a good cause. You and the Professor sound like the nicest of people!
What beautiful pictures and what a great set of fives, Willow!
I'd love a getaway weekend like yours, especially if I could spend some time at the coffee and cinnamon shop.
I love pictures of marinas and lighthouses so I especially like your post today! I don't know why I'm so drawn to pictures that have these. Maybe because I live inland.
The benefit sounds great!
Willow, I love seeing Long Beach through your eyes, all the places I too have walked and photographed and enjoyed.
I was just looking at the Ugandan Lambs site last night and here it is mentioned in your blog. Time for me to get involved....we heard Sam S tell his story in our little group gathering several weeks ago.
I love the pictures of that Marina, especially the reflections in the water! It looks like a great place for a walk!
Great pictures! Sounds like an enjoyable time away.
Wow. when you've lived land-locked and in the Midwest all of your life, it's hard to really believe people live in this kind of beauty. The Midwest has its own beauty, for sure, but it's an acquired taste. No wonder everyone went West. (Deep thought of the day.)
OOHH....I've always wanted to see Long Beach CA. the only place we've been to in CA is San Francisco, which I loved..it was thanksgiving week of 1997 when my oldest was just a 4 year old. i loved every single thing we did. and loved hiking in John Muir national forest. (i think that is what it was called). loved your list this week...great pics!
Love the pictures...but my favorite is of the lighthouse. Very pretty. Sounds like you had a nice time. :)
Beautiful scenes Willow - I could sit all day and watch sailboats - especially with an ice-cream cone!
Terrific photos of the marina and what a lovely getaway weekend tied into a worthy cause.
I have to say I received an education reading your post. I had not heard of the Ugandan Lambs until I came here. How sad it is that the need even exists. Daniel is a terrific looking boy.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Have a great weekend!
What a wonderful trip to Long Beach, and what a wonderful reason to go! :)
I especially love the lighthouse picture, Willow! And your boy, Daniel S., is one handsome young man!
I so enjoyed your beautiful photos. A beach trip would be lovely about now. We're expecting another snowstorm tonight:(
What a beautiful place to spend time! Great photos, too - very clear and crisp.
Being part of helping others in places like Uganda is a great addition to the FFF list!
Those sea and marian views are heart-stopping, Willow...beautiful! It's been so long since I was out on a boat. We don't have one, but I love being out at sea! Have a super weekend, my friend! Oh, and thanks so much for you great cheer and support at my place...I'm very excited about all the new things happening just now. :o) ((HUGS))
Willow,
I enjoyed taking the walk with you and your husband. It's such a pretty part of the world.
Maybe one day I will get to visit California.
Have a great weekend.
Blessings,
Mary
Beautiful photos to accompany your very interesting post, Willow. I understand better now your connection with that city. Haven't heard of Firm Foundation, but maybe it's time to remedy that! And that first photo is postcard-perfect.
Thanks for sharing your part of the world. We so loved our sunny days in Palm Springs. I was imagining what it would be like to have so much sun. I love the contrast it makes in our photos.
It's good to hear that you enjoy spending time alone with the Professor. That's always a highlight for me.
Nice time and a nice day to explore the charm of Long Beach!
What a fabulous trip! I love the pictures of the marina :)
What a lovely fav 5 trip. The sea looks so beautiful.
Well done for sponsoring a child- we do too through the Toybox charity.
You always inspire me to travel further south than we ordinarily do. I've been to Malibu more in the past year than I have in the five previous years combined. Maye I need to make one more trip.
Beautiful area. Love the shot of the marina, Willow.
Beautiful blue skies and water there in california Willow! It is so wonderful that you sponser a Ugandan child in need!
Loving your life kak willow, I've still a long way to go sebelum dapat pencen :D
I came. I saw. And I didn't comment? I was here the other day and fell in love with that shot of the lighthouse, followed by the sail boats on the water. Too perfect.
When i read the blogs of anyone in America it seems so strange, like im reading about some place almost not real - like obviously ive heard of L.A, long beach etc but because its always been in movies or songs its so hard to imagine it as a real place with genuine people, just the same as people here in the UK. I picture it all to be film like, very hard to explain. Do you know how i mean? I always wonder what perception people in America have of us here in the UK, it would be very interesting to know.
Aqeela xx
Long Beach is a favorite place for us too! We like flying in to Long Beach Airport on Jet Blue whenever we go down there by air.
Cindy
Post a Comment