Thursday, December 31, 2009
Christmas in California
I am coming
to the end of my drive, I think, having arrived in Desert Hot Springs,
California. Staying with my friend Sandy, I am finding this place a bit
of a mind game. I see the palm trees, feel the warm sun, gaze at the beautiful
sky, but the mountains are in the ocean’s space. I have no place to kayak,
improve my beach stoop in search of the perfect shell, or a place to watch the
pelicans dive for their delectable fish lunch.
Last
week I drove to Fallbrook, CA, the avocado Capital of the world, to spend Christmas
with my friend, Donna and her husband, Gerry. Dinner was delicious. Thank you,
Donna. Where their house is located, flowers blossom all year. The lavender
plants are gorgeous, the roses radiant in color and the flowers along the
highway sway in the gentle breeze deliciously scenting. Who could not live in
such a beautiful place?
On Saturday,
desperately needing to see and feel water, I drove to Oceanside. It shocked and
amazed me how smooched together the beach houses are, you could cook in one
neighbor’s kitchen while sitting in the living room of the other. But I got
what I wanted, I wadded in the FREEZING Pacific Ocean, saw kayaks, people
sitting on the beach, and bodies surfing. Now that's California. This desert
thing is not my beloved Taos or Santa Fe, New Mexico; there I expect to find
dirt, dust and dry relentless winds, here it's suppose to be green and flowers.
This place, like I said, is a mind game. Then again Palm Springs, Palm Desert
and the other areas are truly beautiful in their landscaping.
Sunday I
went to Temecular for wine tasting. Temecula is bordered by Murrieta, home of
the Murrieta Hot Springs, and the Pechanga Indian Reservation where the
Pechanga Resort and Casino is located. This is largest casino in the Western
United States, and one of the largest in the world. For all you golfers, the
golf course at Pechnags is a72 Par, 7,219 yard Arthur Hills designed
Championship 18-Hole golf course open to the public. There are7 miles of cart
paths and the carts are equipped with a GPS system with course tips and
narration by U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain Corey Pavin.
The
Temecula Valley is a Viticultural Area southern Riverside County,
California where over 200 years ago, winemaking made its debut at Mission San
Juan Capistrano where the padres being the first wine makers. Today, the
tradition of winemaking still exists 18 miles east in Temecula, where mission
vineyards were established in 1820. I tasted wine at the Callaway Vineyard, the
Founder, Ely Callaway, gained his fame and fortune in the world of golf
with his namesake company, Callaway Golf.
Happy
New Year
Sandy
My Dad and I thank you for your donations
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