Santa Barbara

We took a trip to Santa Barbara last week for a wedding.  While the wedding was for a friend, we were working as the wedding photographers.  The bride grew up with my daughter and her mother was my daughter's gymnastics coach.  

We had a nice trip in our new (well...new to us) mini van.  Plenty of room for everything!  It was really long though.  We met up with my daughter and her friend about halfway there.  At one point, I just had to stop for a break and we found ourselves at this really cool place, the Madonna Inn.  We had been there before many years ago.  Hubby snapped a few photos:

Doesn't this fireplace look like something out of the Flintstones?

This place is just over the top!   I would love to go back and spend the night.  One of the things it is most famous for is the men's bathroom.  The urinal is a waterfall.  Hubby checked to make sure that there was no one inside so I could come in and take a look.  I didn't see what the big deal was.  Then he told me that it was only activated by motion.  So, I didn't really get to see the whole effect.  lol.

The wedding was at a beautiful venue.  Everything about Santa Barbara is beautiful.  The wedding went great and when hubby finishes with the photos you will be able to see them at www.farrellphotography.net, check out the blog.

I videotaped the wedding and am excited to make a wedding video for the couple.  It was a fast moving day, as all weddings are, for the photographers.  So much to do and never enough time.  The groom is from Australia and there were a lot of people there from "Oz".  I loved the accents.  Something about the way they talk is just fun.  

After the wedding we were worn out!!  The next morning we met up with dear daughter and had some brunch.  The restaurant was right on the beach.  

They went home and we spent the rest of the day as tourists.

This was my chance to learn some basics about photography.  Hubby really needs a "second shooter" at the weddings.  So, I'm it.  

Here are my first attempts at being a "real" photographer.  My son, who is also helping me to learn, told me to just take lots of pictures.  He says that getting a good shot is part luck anyway.  And so I did.  These are my favorites.

This is the Moreton Bay Fig Tree.  I read about it on the internet.  It's so big that it provides the largest amount of shade of any tree in California.  I liked this picture because of the closeup of the fig.

Without a person in the picture it's hard to see just how big this tree is.  It looks like something out of Avatar.  I liked this shot because of the sun peeking through.  And, speaking of peeking.  Hubby said that he saw an old man pop out of the center of the tree and is convinced that there is someone living there.  On the other side there is a person sleeping in the grass.  He looked homeless but very young.  I'm not sure, it IS a college town.

Hubby took this one of me....so you can see how big the tree is!

I had fun taking these pictures, but at the same time, it was stressful.  I was intimidated to just hold the camera.  I'm fine with my little point and shoot camera.  It doesn't send any message, other than that I just want to take a picture.  Holding this serious camera seems to say "I know what I'm doing.  I'm a pro."  Just embarrassing.  Plus, hubby is really good at what he does.  When I compare my meager attempts, it just seems so pointless.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  And, hubby has been a photographer for probably 40 years.  So, I plan to give myself some slack.  At least that's what I keep saying to myself.

After the tree, we headed over the the Mission of Santa Barbara.  I love the old missions.  This one was wonderful. We followed the tour and quickly realized that we took a wrong turn and were following it BACKWARDS.  Par for the course with us!

Here are my favorite shots of the mission:

We had to make our mark, of course!  We placed a pin for where we live.

This was another big fig tree.  Not as big as the Moreton, but really pretty.  In this area were many graves of priests over the years dating back to the 1800's.

Hubby tried to tell me that this shot wouldn't work out.  Instead, it is one of my favorites.  I stuck the camera in between to posts and the flash was concentrated only on the figure in the middle.  I like that.  Art is in the eye of the beholder, right?

I took this picture because I thought it would be a fun craft.  I can just imagine the glittering light reflected from this glass dish.

Inside the church.  Just to show you how good hubby is...this is my picture:

Here is his:

He says it's all about lighting.  


This is the main courtyard.  So peaceful and pretty.

After that we headed out to the beach to catch the sunset.  By the time we were heading down there it started to feel like a race.  We made it in plenty of time and enjoyed a relaxing evening watching the sun set over the pacific ocean.  

 Watching this doggie, really made me miss ours!

I'm always in hubby's pictures.  Now it's his turn to be the model!  He took this one of me:

While I was just watching the water, I saw a dolphin.  Twice!  But, I could not capture him on film.

I took this one of the setting sun:

I liked this pic because of the people just walking with the setting sun behind them.  And, below is my video camera.  I set it up to record the entire sunset.  I don't know what I will do with it, but it's really cool.  Complete with the sound of crashing waves.

I love the colors of this picture and the seagull on the right.

And suddenly I was STARVING!  We headed downtown for a bite to eat.  It was filled with college students.  We chose an Italian street cafe.  The food was incredible and I loved the atmosphere.  It reminded me of the movies.  Hubby took this picture:

In the morning we took our time.  We stopped at the original Pea Soup Andersens.  It was good, but my favorite is still the Santa Nella one.  Since we were so close, we decided to take a look at Solvang.  A Scandenvian village nearby.  We didn't even get out of the car....because the streets were lined up with people waiting for a parade!

We decided to stop at Pismo Beach on the way home.  I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to the beach.  And, I wanted some more practice with the camera.  This time I tried out the telephoto lense.  

I took a few of this lady.  She kept getting closer and closer to this pelican.  I thought it would be an interesting picture if he decided to take exception to her close proximity!

A fun day at the beach.   My very first telephoto pic.

I really had fun trying to capture the surfers.  I had to anticipate the wave they would try for and then THEY would have to stay up.  

Aha!  Got one!

Small waves.  All that waiting for a 5 second ride.

The star of this show was the pelicans.  

I loved this solohette.  

Then he started to stretch out.

Like something out of Jirassic Park!

I told my son that my best shots were copies.  Like this one.  I just went and stood where hubby was and took the same picture.  My son told me that this is the best way to learn.  Whew.

We had a fun trip, but I was sure glad to be home!  I missed my "boys"!

The Princess Phone

I want one of these!!  

This one sold for only $12!

When I was a little girl, my mom had a Princess phone beside her bed.  It was adorable.  I'm pretty sure hers was blue.  

And, she had it on a nifty little stand just like this one. 

Back then, so many people had the exact same phone.  And, the exact same stand.  

Today there are so many more choices.  

With all the modern technology and the great phones we have these days, why aren't they cuter?

 

We all choose different decor themes, I like cottage and shabby, my daughter likes bohemian and modern.  But, our phone are almost the same.  What?  How does that work? Why aren't there more decorative phones available?  When you talked on a Princess phone you felt like a princess.  

This is my current phone. It speaks the number or name of the person who is calling, it can take a message, it can show me the phone number of who is calling or a history of who called, it has a list of commonly dialed numbers and soooo much more.  BUT..... What do you feel like on this phone?

Here are a few vintage ads for Princess phones....don't they make you want one right now?

If I do find a vintage Princess phone, will it even work?  Can you still use a rotary phone any more?

Touring this old building is like Time Travel

I interviewed a really nice person to day, Debbie Dunn.  She has taken over a very cool store in the town of Volcano in a very old historic building.  She says that the building has had a general store in it since 1852.  It has something in it from every generation.  I took a few pictures to share with you.  Let's take a time travel tour of the Country Store in Volcano California.

From the outside it really doesn't look like much.  In fact, I can tell you that I have, in fact, walked past this store many many times and never once went inside.  I was truly missing out!

Right outside there are brick wall and rock walls.

Up the street....

Down the street....

Old plank wood floors that creak delightfully as you walk on them.  Do you see the wooden bar stools?  

On the right is a restaurant.  Look at the old vintage counter.  

The eating area surrounded by rock walls and lit by a skylight above.  There are vintage pictures of the store and the town all around.  

Same room, other side.  

 This brick oven is very old and is used currently to cook on.

These iron doors were there to protect the building from fires.  A fire back in the 1800's could destroy a whole town before they could put it out.  The rock walls were great protection against fire.  The iron doors would keep the fire from entering.  Debbie told me something I did not know.  They put a layer of dirt on top of the ceiling.  If the roof burned, it would get to the dirt and stop (hopefully), once again preventing the fire from spreading. 

The place is a veritable treasure trove of cool stuff in every nook and cranny.  This vintage light up sign was stuck in the storage room behind the iron doors.  I hope that Debbie resurrects it somehow.

This the the same room looking back from the iron doorway.

I love this vintage cigarette dispenser that is still in use in this store. From this vantage point you can see the two separate areas, on the left is the store and on the right is the restaurant.

This candy rack is vintage and makes me think of my childhood.  Debbie has added the candy bowls at the top for "penny" candy.

This store has served many generations.  You can almost see any one of them shopping here.  And, it's stocked right now with current inventory.

Debbie features local Amador County wines in the store.

Cool old meat display.  She plans to get it back in use.

What's back here?  It's fenced in....must be important.

Yep.  It's the old safe.

I can remember using a vintage/antique cash register like this one.  Or something like it anyway.  Aren't you just dying to start punching those buttons to make the drawer open?

Another storage room with an eclectic mix of stuff.  And, these interesting lamps just hanging over nothing in a corner.  What's the story here?

The storeroom ladder looks pretty old and vintage. 

I imagine these spikes were meant to keep the ladder from sliding.  But, I didn't see any holes for it.  Must go back for further inspection!!

This sign was for a pool that used to be where the park is now.  It was filled in long ago.  My husband has told me about swimming in that pool when he was little.  It was fun to see the sign that is the last proof that a community pool existed.  Debbie remembers swimming in it too.  This is the perfect final resting place for this nostalgic sign of a time gone by.

This is the picture that I sent to the paper to use with my article.  I like it because it shows both stores and Debbie.  She is so passionate about the building and the history.  I see her as a caretaker of a little piece of history and she takes it seriously.  She is eager to share her knowledge about the building and what it's been used for.  I really appreciate Debbie for giving me the tour, even the secret hidey places!  I was charmed by the building and by her enthusiasm.  I definitely plan to return to hang out and enjoy the ambiance.  I'm looking forward to a burger cooked in the brick oven.