Central Cali- May 2011 Part 2 -Hearst Castle, Wine Tasting, Antique Cars. The perfect day!

It was another beautiful day and we headed up North on Highway 1 right after breakfast. The weather changed her mind several times during our 30 minute drive, going from foggy to sunny and back again. By the time we reached Hearst Castle, she had decided upon sunny. When I think of Hearst Castle, the following words come to mind: Enchanting, Opulent, Decadent, Breathtaking. Condensed history of Hearst Castle- The Castle or 'The Ranch' as Hearst referred to it, is on a high hill overlooking the Pacific ocean near San Simeon. Construction was begun on this masterpiece in 1915 and was designed by architect Julia Morgan for gazillionaire William Randolph Hearst. Hearst is quoted as saying, "I would like to build something upon the hill at San Simeon. I get tired of going up there and camping in tents. I'm getting a little too old for that. I'd like to get something that would be a little more comfortable." The final result (three decades later!) was a compound of over 90,000 square feet and includes 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and the world's largest private zoo. Zebras and other exotic animals still roam the grounds. Comfy? I'll say! Hearst's family had owned this property for a long time, but his Mother wouldn't allow him to build on it because "He'd get carried away." ha ha ha. The Neptune Pool is magnificent! An ancient Roman temple is part of the design, having been purchased, shipped to the states and reconstructed on site. (Seen behind me in the pic) These lights surround the compound. Hearst Castle is magnificent because it combines three amazing things. First - it's breathtaking setting. Lush green hills, a view of the blue ocean, and a climate that can't be beat. Secondly, the building and design is incredibly beautiful. Details? Unbelievable. Even the winding drive up to the castle was designed to tease you, with the castle peeking in and out of your view as you climb the hill. And the third element is the art. This place is stuffed full of priceless works of art. Everywhere you look, you will see ancient Greek vases, paintings by European masters, ancient Roman sculptures, Egyptian sarcophagi (the statuary and such adorn the gardens, as well), but some elements of the building itself are also ancient. A ceiling from an ancient Spanish castle that was purchased, dismanteled and shipped over, then fitted to a certain bedroom in the house. Hearst Castle employs ten people just to dust this place and they do it twice a day. I asked. A great place to throw a party, you are probably thinking. No kidding! Lavish parties thrown by William Randolph Hearst and his glamorous movie star mistress, Marion Davies (he and his first wife were separated but not divorced for some religious? reason and he lived publicly with Marion for about 30 years until his death). The guest lists included Charlie Chaplin, Carol Lombard, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindberg, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope and Winston Churchill. Hearst was not a drinker and worried about Marion's drinking, so although wine and beer were served at the parties, hard liquor was frowned upon. It's said that most guests were on their best behavior until Hearst retired for the evening. Then the party really began. Look closely at the tree in the picture covered with tangerines. All over the property are trees covered in lemons, grapefruit, and tangerines. During Hearst's time, the property was nearly self sufficient, with extensive gardens, orchards and cattle. a sarcophagus is garden art Note the door to the bathroom. It's from an old castle. Nice, huh? A bedroom ceiling A porch off of one of the bedrooms. Look at the big lion paws table legs A dress from their period costume collection is laid out on the bed. Imagine that you are a guest at one of William Randolph Hearst's legendary parties and your assigned servant has laid this out for you. Can't get over the view The architectural detail is incredible The kitchen was big and beautiful and contained the 'latest' electric gadgets, like refrigerators! This is about 1/8 of the kitchen. Swoon!!! The indoor pool: Real gold leaf tiles! Next stop? Cambria. A cute little town near Heart Castle with shops, restaurants and wine tasting. We went to Moonstone Cellars and enjoyed a lovely afternoon of wine tasting and then had lunch before heading back to Morro Bay. Back at Morro Bay we did a little shopping, got a coffee and napped. When we were shopping I saw an old VW hippie van that was totally rusted out. A cute little dog was sitting in it, waiting for his person. There was a 'For Sale' sign on the van. I think I probably could've bought it for what was in my pocket at the time. A view of Morro Rock Gerald walking down the street in Cambria Every time a bell rings... Pirate Prom Pic Morro Bay was hosting an Antique Car Show and we caught the evening parade of cars. Everyone was having a blast and the cars were gorgeous. Candy colored Tbird line up We finished up the day with dinner at a dockside restaurant where seals played in the water right outside our window. The food was delicious and we had a view of Morro Rock. The couple next to us provided a fun conversation for us to creep on. He was REALLY trying overly hard to impress her and we got a kick out of that. For more info on Hearst Castle, read Marion Davies' biography -

The Times We Had.

She seems like she was a very sweet person and the tales of living at the Castle are extremely interesting. Did I mention before how much I love Central California?

Blogging about Blogging?

My friend Margaret - adventurer and writer - recently came to visit us. She is on a journey across the United States, visiting her facebook friends and blogging/writing a book about her journeys. I met Margaret in Mexico, on the island of Isla Mujeres, where she was working, managing a hotel owned by her family. On her recent visit we got to know each other better and spent our time researching the history of my little town, roaming the cemetary, drinking wine, dining and just hanging out. It was really fun. Margaret is one cool person. Interested in almost everything, very easy to talk to and laid back, which makes this project perfect for her! Ozzy fell in love with her, too, and he doesn't usually like anyone. That says a lot! Her blog is very interesting (especially the part about visiting me. LOL) and you should definitely check it out! Safe travels, Margaret! http://www.flitflitter.com/i-do-know-how-to-make-a-good-first-impression

Central Cali May 2011 - Day 1

Partly because we had a couple of free flights to burn and partly because I'm a travel addict, Mr. Wonderful and I took a long weekend to hang out in California. I love California and when I say love....I mean LOVE. San Francisco is fun, LA has it's moments, but so far, Central California is my true love. First of all the scenery is gorgeous. Big Sur...Swoon. Charming coastal towns, fresh seafood, endless vineyards, cruising Highway 1? Well, it's almost too perfect. When it's a beautiful, clear day here in Texas and it's not too hot and not too cold, my daughter and I refer to it as a 'California' day. We flew into San Jose, which in my opinion, is a good starting place. I don't like to drive THAT much. To our dismay, Highway 1 was closed just North of Cambria, so we had to opt for Highway 101 and then do some creative looping to be able to drive some of 1. C'est la vie. Funny thing about Highway 101, even though it wasn't Highway 1, it turned out to be a beautiful drive. Farms as far as the eye could see. Palm tree farms (!), lettuce, vineyards, asparagus, neatly lined rows of orchard trees. Rolling hills of green and bursting with purple and yellow flowers. Grazing cows. The fields of dark purple lettuce were especially stunning. Town after little town passed and we got hungry. We stopped in a tiny town that was proclaimed 'Gonzalez' on the big water tower. There was a Mexican restaurant in the cute little downtown area that we thought might be worth a shot. You know, one of those 'this is going to either be really good or really bad' things. The decor was horrific, but it was clean. There was one person in the place and he was standing behind the bar, watching tv. There were no customers. Okay...it's a little late for lunch. I guess. 'Are you serving lunch?" I asked. 'Habla Espanol?' was the reply. I smiled big and said 'Muy poco' (I'm fluent in Faux Spanglish) He returned my smile and sprang into action, jumping out from behind the bar and throwing on an apron, while ushering us to a table. We were promptly brought menus and drinks and then....the salsa and chips. Jackpot! The chips were homemade and so was the salsa. Oh, Baby, I think we've chosen well. Gerald ordered a Chimichanga and I opted for tacos. Neither would disappoint. The chopped beef in the tacos was perfectly seasoned and topped with fresh onions, tomato and cilantro. I thought I was in Mexico. (I kinda was). The Chimi was wrapped in a delicate tortilla and deep fried. Not greasy and in so many thin layers, almost like a croissant. The food was inexpensive, delicious, and our waiter/cook could be seen through the kitchen door flying around working hard. We tipped well. On the road again... This stretch of Highway 101 is known as 'Camino Real' - The Royal Highway. Between 1683 and 1834, Spanish missionaries established a series of missions that were about a day's ride apart along this route. Legend has it that they sprinkled the route with mustard seeds, so it would be marked by yellow flowers. In 1892, a series of 450 bells that hang from tall Shepherd's Hooks were installed along the route. Although the original bells have been replaced by replicas, they are really cool. Back in the day, there were 21 Missions, four Presidios and two Pueblos along this route. We hit Atascadero and headed West...destination Morro Bay. The terrain turned hilly at once as we wound through avocado farms and breathtaking vistas of green. Morro Bay is a cool, hippie coastal town that boasts a rock. A huge rock. It was once a plug for a volcano, so they say, and it's as big as a mountain. Many different species of birds use it to nest including Peregrine falcons, seagulls, herons and sea gulls. We stayed at El Morro Masterpiece Hotel. Nice, clean, wine and cheese happy hour and b'fast included. Jacuzzi tub in the bedroom and a little balcony. Nice staff. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and walking on the beach and had a great dinner in a seaside restaurant. Surfers Tomorrow we visit Hearst Castle, my future home.