Thursday, August 20, 2015

August is Travel Time

It's Friday--Fave Fives with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.  Here at Willow's Cottage, it has been busy, first finishing some chores and then jumping in the car for a quick road trip.  Traveling is always a fun adventure for me.  I am blessed to be able to travel.

1.  The Professor pointed out this article to me this week.  We have always known we live in a beautiful, wonderful place.  According to Washington Post, our county is THE BEST COUNTY, the most desirable place to live in the continental US.  Note: this does NOT take in to consideration housing prices which are desirable only when you are selling.

2.  I've been traveling this week from my beautiful Ventura County through other beautiful counties in California--Santa Barbara and north, all the way to Mendocino and Humboldt Counties along Hwy 1 hugging the Pacific Ocean. Our first stop was in San Miguel to visit the old mission there.  Mission San Miguel.





3.  Then after dropping Son #2 off at Stanford University for a quick visit, we drove on north through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge.  That bridge never fails to thrill and awe me.  I was a wee girl the first time I crossed it and cannot count the number of times since then I've made that trip.


This photo was taken about five years ago.  This week's crossing was done later in the day and in cloudy weather--not the best for photos...

4.  I have always wanted to visit Fort Ross which is the site of a Russian settlement established on the northern California coast in the early 1800s.  We had read that it was closed during the week, but we discovered when we drove in to check that this month only it was open.



5.  Then, farther north, we stopped at Point Arena Lighthouse.  Yes, we are 'those people' who love history.


We climbed to the top and even walked out on the 'catwalk'.




Bonus:  This is a long quote.  I was deeply struck with the truth of this (partial) paragraph from Elizabeth Goudge's novel Green Dolphin Street.  Humbling and convicting.

"The violence of three days ago seemed like a bad dream, and it was difficult to think of it coming alive again in this peace and beauty.  It was still harder to imagine one's self being tortured.  Torture was the sort of thing that happened to other people, to early Christian martyrs and people of that sort, but not to one's self and one's relations.  Yet why shouldn't it happen to one's self and one's own?  Out of what congenital arrogance had sprung this sense of immunity?  This "to them, not to me and mine" way of thinking, that she had hitherto taken as quite natural, was a shocking and dreadful revelation of human callousness.  Pride and selfishness, they were the same, really."

How was your week?  I'd love to hear!

13 comments:

Faith said...

wow. thatmis quite a quote! I might like that book!

love your mkssion photos and i will never forget the first ( and only ) time we drove across the Golden Gate bridge in a rental car with our oldest who was only 4 at the time. she asked " why isnt it golden, mommy." Of course neither Dave nor I had any clue as to why sonce we were expecting a gold color too! :) we loved San Francisco when we visited for Thanksgiving week in 1997. but imcould never live out there.....I love the great Northeast and all of our seasons😀

Love the photo of you and your hisband!! looks like a wonderful week!

happy weekend!

Tracy said...

How beautiful is the San Miguel Mission! So love the Mission architecture! It's wonderful that there are so many thrills in life, even repeat ones--like your Golden Gate crossing. There is a bridge in PA we cross, and I always have a feeling of come home when crossing it. :o) VERY interesting about the Russian settlement... Count us among those who "love histor"--a lot of our outings involve places rich with history. LOVE the pic of you & the Professor! What a great quote from Elizabeth Goudge... been a long time since I read her lovely books--should revisit. This week's highlight--we're having real summer at last--we've been up to 80 F... LOL! ;o) ((HUGS))

Janet said...

I enjoyed feeling like I was traveling with you! Beautiful photos.

I love Green Dolphin Street. I'm currently reading another Elizabeth Goudge book -- The Child from the Sea. My all-time favorite of her books is The Scent of Water.

ellen b said...

Great stops along your way.
Wow! What a quote. Good one to ponder...

Susan said...

Interesting article about the best counties to live. The photos that you post certainly attest to Ventura county as being one of the BEST.

I LOVE SF and will be going to Ocean Beach (SF) this Saturday with ladies from my church. We will not be going over the Golden Gate Bridge though. The last time I was at this Bridge (Thanksgiving Day 4 years ago) the family and I got out and walked across it.

Your quote intrigued me (from Elizabeth Goudge's novel Green Dolphin Street), so I looked for the book at my library. They don't carry it but have other works of her so that is what I requested. . . . Back you your quote, yes, why not me?

Enjoy the last of your vacation - or are you back at school?

Karen said...

What a lovely trip. We're some of 'those' people who love history, too, so it all sounds fascinating. Interesting quote, it certainly personalizes what others have gone through for all of us.

Barbara H. said...

What fun travels! So nice you can do that before school starts back up. That quote is indeed thought-provoking.

Ann said...

My husband and I were in Ventura County/Santa Clarita for several days, four years ago right about now. (We flew home on Labor Day.) We walked out on the pier there, and really enjoyed the area. You live in a beautiful place!!

Susanne said...

I love history too and love visiting sites and learning. One of these fine days I'm going to cross that bridge.

nikkipolani said...

Ah, just your cup of tea, then, to sneak in a little travel before the school year begins. I'm not surprised your county was voted up. So many of the State's beauties are right there.

It's been a while since I read Green Dolphin Street. EGouge has a way of provoking thinking doesn't she?

snoopydogknits said...

Looks like a fun trip. It's always good to have a bit of history thrown into the mix too. I guess like us, here in the UK, your summer hols are almost an end. Hope the new term begins well! Ros

aspiritofsimplicity said...

What an interesting a beautiful trip. I love history also.

Gattina said...

How nice to travel and see beautiful and interesting things ! I remember the Golden Gate in San Fransisco we have been there twice. Loved the city and also the area around.