Living in California, one can’t help but fall in love with Mission architecture of this area. The white stuccoed walls with red tiled roofs, ornate ironwork, and colorful Mexican hand-painted tiles; these are such lovely characteristics of a warm and inviting architecture. When you combine this style of architecture with the almost all year California sunshine, blue Pacific Ocean, and the rolling hills and mountains that abound here, sometimes one can forget this is America, but rather it can feel like we are in Spain or in the Mediterranean somewhere.
Continue reading Quintessential California. The Mission ArchitectureTag Archives: US Travel
A Movie Scene Christmas Market
Over the weekend I got a text from my sister in Philadelphia asking me what one of my daughters would like for Christmas, as she was at a Christmas Market on a farm looking for some cool finds. Her text to me read, “I’m at a German Christmas market on a farm. It’s snowing outside and there’s nice apple cider inside! Just loving it!“
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Banu’s Emerald Green Philadelphia Garden
My sister Banu who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a lovely home and a beautiful garden. A lush and emerald green garden, it’s the greenest garden I’ve ever seen.
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Visit to Taza Chocolate in Sommerville, Massachusetts
Love dark chocolate? Ever wonder how that delicious dark chocolate went from bean to bar for our enjoyment? When we visited Boston, Massachusetts back in July, one of the excursions we made outside of the Boston area was to the Taza Chocolate Factory in Sommerville, Massachusetts.
For those of you who read my story on my visit to Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania; you will find this one to be very different. This is about a small artisanal chocolate company in Sommerville, Massachusetts called Taza Stone Ground Chocolate where we toured their factory and saw the entire chocolate making process from cocoa bean to packaged chocolate bar. Continue reading Visit to Taza Chocolate in Sommerville, Massachusetts
A Day Trip to Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
While visiting our friends Jo and Oliver in Cape Cod, Massachusetts this past summer, we made a day trip to the quaint island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Under the guidance of Jo and Oliver, who were our tour guides for the day, we spent the entire day on Nantucket Island.
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Visit to Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Our friend Jo, who lives here in the Bay Area, has a summer home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and has been telling me for years to bring the kids and visit her. I finally decided to do it and made it out to Cape Cod this past July. What an amazing time we had. Beaches, boats, hydrangeas, and cedar cottages. This is the best way to describe this charming area of Cape Cod.
“I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world’s variety …”
“I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world’s variety and uniqueness.” by Maya Angelou. What better way to describe my recent trips this past summer.
I made a new year’s resolution early this year, to travel more and to get out of my comfort zone i.e. California. Continue reading “I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world’s variety …”
Visit to Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania
I heard this past week of the sad news that veteran actor Gene Wilder passed away at the age of 83. I’ve seen a few of his movies such as Stir Crazy, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, all of which were great comedies, family friendly movies. But what Gene Wilder is most famous for is his role as Mr. Willie Wonka in the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. What a classic this movie is. Based on the popular children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, this movie is a must see for kids of all ages. A great story about greed and selfishnes and how in the end love, generosity, and kindness towards others triumphs all misfortunes is a story that resonates even in today’s fast-paced world.
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Antique Shopping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Lambertville, New Jersey
Antique shopping in Philadelphia and the surrounding neighborhoods is truly a unique East Coast experience. In fact, in the Philadelphia area, antique shopping is like going wine tasting in the Bay Area. There are countless numbers of antique shops in the Philadelphia area. There are even towns whose claim to fame is that their entire town is dedicated to just antique shopping. There are also antique flea markets where vendors from far and wide come and set up tents to sell their wares. Continue reading Antique Shopping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Lambertville, New Jersey
Visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Off the Beaten Path.
I visited my sister Banu in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over the July 4th holiday. When you are a family of 4 siblings, organizing a family get together is next to impossible. Coordinating a timeframe that works for my siblings and I, along with our spouses and all our kids is a major feat. Which means we are lucky if we can all meet together every 2 years. This year all of us got together over the July 4th holiday! Continue reading Visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Off the Beaten Path.