Adventure #2 plus more

I wanted Tyler to see Mexico outside of the resorts so we ventured to Puerto Morelos for a bit one day and stayed our last 2 days in Playa del Carmen.

The heat was overwhelming, I must admit, so instead of our initial plan of walking the 30 minute beach walk to the town, we took a taxi.  There were 2 lighthouses to see, yay!
The one closest to the beach is leaning :)

The newer lighthouse is upright.

We did a little shopping in the city, then headed home.  I got my new hat in Puerto Morelos, wish I had an occasion to wear it everyday!

The below photo is taken in Playa del Carmen.  We enjoyed a nice walk on the beach there on our first night.  

The town has changed a lot since Amysita and I studied in Mexico 13 years ago!  Much more touristy, but not as bad as Cancun thank goodness.  Still fun to walk around and people watch.

A fake lighthouse, but at least we got our exercise walking to see it :)

The very Americanized mall 1 block from the beach in Playa.  Amy, I almost took Tyler to Sanbornes :)

Our hotel was incredibly simple compared to the resort, but it had lovely gardens and cheerful paint colors.  We didn't spend much time there anyway so it was just fine.

My hubby met a new friend :)

I do realize now though why all inclusive resorts are a draw, they are far easier to adjust to :)  You don't have to think about where to eat, someone arranges your travel for you, and you have everything you need right at your fingertips. Luxury is good to an extent :)  All in all though, I am glad we got to see multiple sides of Mexico.  And, it was so nice to practice my Spanish!

California Adventures, Part I

We ventured down to Cali earlier this month for some fun in the sun.  I was pleased that it was cooler in Cai than it had been in Seattle (we have had an unusually warm and sunny summer in Seattle).  Our first stop was to meet beautiful Felina, their supermodel kitty.  She is such a sweetheart, I was very tempted to take her home :)

 

 

Our second stop was Wildflower Café, my favorite place to eat in Redondo Beach.  GF sandwich!

 

Then we headed north to Santa Barbara.  Along the way, we found the Port Hueneme Lighthouse.

Driving along the coast is always beautiful. 

We strolled along the pier in Santa Barbara.

 

And enjoyed some tasty food!

Next stop: Solvang, a cute Danish town similar to Washington's Leavenworth.  Here we are visiting a bakery.

The architecture was lovely.  And the food was as well. 

On Friday, we tasted some delicious wines!  Our first stop was Roblar, just outside of Solvang.

Next up, Beckmen Vineyards. 

 

There were a few stops in between and lots of goodness along the way.

It was a lovely pre-birthday time.  On my actual birthday, I requested to stop by the miniature horse farm.  Look at these cuties!

To be continued...

Seaside!

Tyler and I headed to Oregon to celebrate our seventh anniversary last weekend.  First stop: Seaside.  We encountered snow along the way which was fun, especially since Seattle hasn't had much snow at all this winter.  Our accommodations were right in the midst of the action so it was really nice to walk everywhere -- to restaurants, the beach, etc.

We had a full day of tons of eating and exploring on Friday.  To eat, we had breakfast at Pig 'N Pancake, lunch at Sweet Basil's Cafe, and dinner at Yummy Wine Bar.  Needless to say, it made for a good day.

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of my amazing buckwheat pancakes!

Below is my amazing GF eggplant sandwich.  Oh and that Dry Cucumber Soda was delicious as well.

Dolmas appetizer and wine at Yummy.

Prosciutto wrapped ling cod!  YUMMY :)
Ok, must forgive the cheesy name.

For our adventures, we walked on the beach at Seaside, visited the Seaside Aquarium, explored Cannon Beach, and visited Ecola State Park.  Oh, and I got a pedicure, we sampled some wine and rode the carousel.  Phew, what a full day!

Ready to feed the seals!

They were very hungry :)

Video to come in subsequent post.

Hello Mr. Crab: 

 Lots of sea stars:

Picture perfect postcard

The view from our balcony!

Cannon Beach: Haystack Rock

As you can imagine, it was quite cold; however there was very little rain so that was nice!

Here we are at Ecola State Park situated between Cannon Beach and Seaside:

The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse on the island in the distance:

A close up 

That was all for our Friday at Seaside.  It was a great time to visit.  Saturday definitely picked up with tourists so I am glad we took the day off to head down there early.