Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, and Felton

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the Bay Area and I thought a drive to the coast would be a fun thing to do. I went to Santa Cruz and walked around the downtown area. They have some great candy shops in Santa Cruz, and there are at least three on Pacific Avenue alone! Marini's is a fun place to go. They have so many old fashioned candies, candy bars, jaw breakers, gummies, candied apples, caramel apples, ice cream, and more! But what they are famous for is their saltwater taffy. That is my favorite candy!

I love those green boxes! They are full of delicious promises.

Their selection at this location isn't as plentiful as the one on the Beach Boardwalk, however, they did have my top four favorite flavors: peanut butter, cinnamon, watermelon, and peppermint.

They also have those giant, colorful lollipops, some of which are bigger than my head! I usually don't eat lollipops because they make my fur sticky.

They have various sculptures and statues spread around downtown. This one is "Untitled Clevis #2" by Harold Moodie.

They have a large, independent bookstore there. I was impressed with the size and selection. Unfortunately, they didn't have their air conditioning on and it was very muggy with the heatwave. That's not very comfy for a bear as furry as I.

They did have this neat rocking horse in the children's section.

I wanted to show my support so I did have a look through some of their shelves. I chose a book about bunnies and a very small bunny puppet, then I made my way out of there and into fresh air.

This statue is called "Tom Scribner" and it is by artist Marghe McMahon.

It was time for a lunch break and a cold drink. I went to Noah's Bagels for a roasted veggie sandiwhc and a bottle of cold lemonade. The sandwich was average and a bit pricey, but it did its job. I was tempted to buy a dozen bagels, but the box is bigger than I am.

After my lunch, I decided to leave Santa Cruz and go for a blended coffee. I went to one of my favorite places: Surf City. I went to the location in Scotts Valley. My favorite drink there is the Cowabunga. It is a blended mocha toffee drink and they can make it with soy or almond milk. They also have a variety of vegan pastries.

They have a corner with some books and magazines to peruse while sipping your coffee.

Ah, the Cowabunga. It's very refreshing!

After I left I decided to take a detour through Felton.

There is a park in town with a covered bridge. It was a bit eerie as there were no children or cubs at the playground.

There is a rock arch in the park but I'm not sure of its significance.

There is a covered bridge here. It is a registered California Historical Landmark.

I walked across the bridge and took a picture with the historical marker. After that, I headed back home into the air conditioning.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I saw the newest Captain America last night. I really enjoyed it. It was full of action. I felt that some of the action scenes did go on a bit longer than necessary. The fight scenes were great. There were a lot of technical terms used in the film, so I will need to watch again so I can take more in. It had some comedic moments, but not as many as the other Marvel films. And as usual, I went in a costume.

Duffy and I were all set to go see Captain America: The Winter Soldier, early screening on Thursday

Duffy looked very suave in his Captain America costume.

I had a costume of my own.

These are some of the other Captain Americas that live with us.

This was a standee at the theater. People (and bears) could pose for a photo holding Cap's shield. We weren't tall enough.

Califia Jones and the Last Crusade

I went to a special screening of 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' at a closing theater. Indiana Jones is one of my favorite franchises, and many of my friends planned to go to the movie. It was a much bigger deal than I thought. Many of the humans were dressed up like Indiana Jones, and there were other lovies, too. There was an Indiana Jones Mickey Mouse! There were people there asking if anyone had an extra ticket to sell because it was sold out. All the local news channels were there. This theater was a landmark; unfortunately, it wasn't registered. All of the Star Wars movies showed there, and I was hoping to see Episode VII there. That area is already overrun with shops and restaurants, but the developers believe the city needs more jeans stores and coffee shops. And the worst part? There was a bookstore in the complex across the street and its lease was not renewed. I think it very unlikely that a new bookstore will go in. That is sad commentary in and of itself.