Sunday, May 11, 2008

A Small Town With A Big Name

Anyone who has talked to me recently knows my favorite book is Harry Potter. I love all seven books. I love the Gryffindor kids, of course, Neville being my favorite. But good girls like bad boys... and there are plenty of those in the HP books as well. There is sexy Snape. Evil and greasy... but sexy. Lucious Lucius with that snarl and the way he swings his cane... And there's Draco... ah, Draco Malfoy. No, he isn't a hot bad boy. He's a wanna-be wussy Death Eater Junior. Take away Draco, and what is left is Tom Felton, a sizzling beauty.

Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains is a town named Felton. There are some interesting places to see such as the Bigfoot Museum and the Felton Covered Bridge. Also in Felton is Roaring Camp which is a train ride through the redwoods and to the Santa Cruz beach area.


I had to park at the Post Office and hike down Highway 9 to get the photo of the city sign. And while at the PO I thought a photo of that sign would be fun, too.

The Felton Covered Bridge is a California Historical Landmark and is one of the few remaining covered bridges in the state.


The bridge is open to predestrians. It's a short bridge not too high above the creek it crosses. The bridge is part of the Felton Covered Bridge Park and there is a big playground and plenty of grass space for a picnic.


When I first arrived I wanted to take pictures of anything with "Felton" on it. That town is big when it comes to the name, it's just about everywhere!

I have talked about Felton many times with people when I talked about my experience riding the train at Roaring Camp, and about the Bigfoot Museum that is located in the town. Every time I have mentioned it I could not remember the name, I would say "That town by Scott's Valley" or "The place on the way to Santa Cruz." You can bet I won't forget the name of THAT town now.


And with this entry, I have made it to post #100!

The Big Salad



Elaine on Seinfeld would be impressed. I love salad, it is one of my favorite foods. Made with the right toppings a salad can be very healthy. May is National Salad Month. Is there a better way to celebrate than to make an eat a "big salad?"


I love to load my salad full of vegetables. Kidney beans for protein, corn for fiber, beets for iron, avocados for monounsaturated fat, and peas just because they taste so good! Topped with croutons and a light dressing and it's a meal fit for a grizzly.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Do You Know The Way To San Jose




Today I went exploring downtown San Jose. There is so much history in this 231-year-old city, including being the site of the first State Capitol.

Saint Joseph Cathedral Basilica


The fountains in Plaza de Cesar Chavez



"First State Capitol" This California Historical Landmark sits in front of the Fairmont Hotel.





San Jose: Where the redwood trees meet the palm trees. Northern California is full of millions of redwood trees for hundreds of miles. Tall palm trees accentuate the skyline of southern California. Here in San Jose, the two trees meet happily in the middle.


San Jose Museum of Art


After a day of walking around the city, I stopped in Chipotle for a vegetarian burrito. That lime cilantro rice is so good!


And because it was such a nice day, a stop for ice cream was on my list.


I ended my day playing in a city park.


I played in the sand for a bit before heading home. What a busy day!