Yes, you can swim with sharks in the wild.
Last year, when we went down to San Diego to visit our friend (and former bridesmaid) Jamie, she let us know that Leopard Sharks come to La Jolla every year so you can snorkel with them. In the wild. Not in a tank.
Awesome.
And we have committed to going back every year.
So. Since we were 1/2 down there anyway…. (because of Lobsterfest) … we headed on down to San Diego to visit Jamie and Zack and the sharks.
And Andrew and I pretty much …

I love love love pretty much anything mid-century.
Let’s face it. I pretty much wish I was born in 1934 like my grandparents so I could have lived through mid-century America.
I have been waiting my whole life (not an exaggeration) for mid-century style to come back.
I got a new soundtrack on CD the other day — Promises, Promises — and I really love the album design. It’s a musical based on the 1960s movie The Apartment, and so has a delicious mid-century feel.
love love

Add that to … I have been thinking …

Ok, not *technically* the Beatles ….
Although, they DID perform at the Hollywood Bowl (waaay back in 1964-5 I think) …. And recorded an album (The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl)
(video below … blame the poor sound quality on the legions of crazy fans)

Last Saturday, we ALSO saw the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl – or, rather, a Beatles tribute concert ….
My parents, grandmother and great-aunt all came out from Phoenix for the weekend to attend the Hollywood Bowl. Also along for the ride, my uncle/aunt/kids who live in Santa Clarita …

In roughly chronological order …

The digital images to come ….

I lived in Santa Clarita for something like 16 or 17 years and I never ever went to the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival (formerly the ‘Cowboy Poetry Festival’) …. but as soon as we move to Encino, there we were. back in SCV!
Every April for a full weekend the city of Santa Clarita puts on their Cowboy Festival.
It reminded me of the Renaissance Faire … but for the ‘old west’ ….
For the last decade or so, the festival has been held at Melody Ranch, an old movie studio deep in …

On our way home from San Simeon, we stopped by Morro Bay …
It was a bit windy.

After driving around the town a bit, we stopped by a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant for lunch. It’s always weird choosing places like that. But it was SUPER busy, so how bad could it be? We got it to go and walked down to the bay ….
Where it was even more windy. And cold.
So it was kind of nice to have warm enchiladas to eat ….
the birds left us alone, so that was nice. …

Before we leave San Simeon for the foreseeable future ….. Just a glimpse at the San Simeon Lodge where we stayed (and where you should stay when you go to visit Hearst Castle).
This is the hotel that is *closest* to the edge of the Hearst land …. This is the hotel that is recommended by one of my favorite travel books (Road Trip USA by Jamie Jensen). …. This hotel is all 1 room wide, so every room has a courtyard view…. (and inexpensive)
love love

Can’t wait to go back!!!!!!

Finishing up our tour on Saturday morning of Hearst Castle ….
As we left we kitchen …. we exited the house (that word is used very loosely) into this little outdoor niche …. with more walls not quite finished …

Julia Morgan‘s little lean-to outside the house where she worked. It was supposed to be temporary … and then something like 20 years later she’s still working out of this little hole.

And then 1 final stop at the indoor pool …

(sad how the ceiling is rotting a bit)

So. How did you like …

Other than the amazing library, my FAVORITE part of the tour of Hearst Castle was the kitchen. …
Oh the kitchen …. I will never have a kitchen this size…. sad day.
It’s approximately L shaped, and you enter from the very top of the vertical part of the L …
The first room has tons of feet of counter space (and fake beer for effect). ..

Hearst has a Frigidaire … just like us!

And then there was ALL THIS space and appliances for cooking …

look at that stove top!

And that, my friends, is …

As part of the Hearst Castle Tour 2, not only did we get a peek at Hearst’s private rooms, we got to go up into one of the tower rooms (the first 3 images below) …

more of the amazing artwork Hearst collected ….

Ceiling :

In addition to his large, primary library available to his guests, William Randolph Hearst also outfitted his ‘Castle’ with a private study for his own use ….
This is where he read the day’s papers. All of them.
He was a publisher with an empire across the country … and he read every single one. Every single day.
Super star.

I love all the natural light in this room …..

trash can?

fireplace grate …

As part of the Hearst Castle tour 2, you get to see William Randolph Hearst‘s private suite ….. his bedroom, his private living area and his girlfriend’s bedroom (Marion Davies).

Can you imagine investing in a piece of art like this for your BEDROOM CEILING? Crazy!

I’m sure these aren’t actually Marion Davies’ clothes, but they are probably period-appropriate. …

again with the lamps!

Not gonna lie : the library was the highlight for me.
My heart starts beating a little faster when I’m around all those books, in this amazing room dedicated to reading and study.
Because I’m a super cool person ….

love love llvoelovelovelovelovelove

Apparently, there were (are?) some very rare pieces in this library …. including a Guttenberg Bible that was sold to the Huntington Library ….

Sigh. Love.
Can’t wait til we have our library …

A lot of the tour #2 was touring the Castle …. through a lot of the smaller rooms, suites and hallways that you can’t take a big group ….

I kind of loved all the lamps …. all these vintage Asian lamps … love love …

ceiling:

Amazing to think this was all left AFTER Hearst’s whole family picked out the pieces they wanted after his death …

Apparently, there was a rule that there was at least one bathroom per bed. Which means that the room below had 2 bathrooms attached ….

The unfinished …