Temecula, CA and the week of my birthday April 26, 2013

I am so excited to stay a week with a long time friend I met in San Pedro when we lived there in 1977-1979. Delores helped me during a desperate time in my life. We had lost touch when our husbands became ill about ten years ago. Now we are both widows and I hope she could see how far I have come since those days. She still inspires me and it was fun to talk about old times.

On the way I stopped in the quaint town of Temecula in wine country.

Enjoyed browsing around the antiques.

Rosa's Cantina for lunch.

I don't know much about Mexican food,
so I asked for the same as a
customer in front of me.

And it was good!

Across the street from Rosa's.

MS. Chievous Dress Store!

I understand wine tasting, but Olive Oil tasting?

 Temecula is a very small town out in the desert, so I was surprised to find this beautiful courthouse and wonderful fountain. The photos don't do it justice.

Looking up the street
at the fountain
and the courthouse.

Part of the fountain and down the street.

Fun Scandinavian Viking Imports!!
I bought Swedish tea leaves.

Gate going out of Temecula. The blue
sign is to a history museum I didn't
go into! Different for me!!!! LOL

The next day I was with Delores at El Pollo Loco, another Mexican cafe. Two days of Mexican food in a row for me is most unusual. I still don't know what to order, so I tried the special and it was good. Then we went for a little self care. I want a chair like that!!!!

The Crazy Chicken!

Yes, very good.

Delores at L.A. Nails

I got a massage AND pedicure!

We went shopping.
This is what they do with all the
things they buy... sell them to us!
Didn't buy anything, though.

And a walk thru the park.

Saw lots of rabbits!

Her granddog.

Swallows at Lake Elsinor Lamb's Fellowship, Canyon Lake, CA April 28, 2013

I was in Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day when the the swallows were supposed to return. Capistrano is now well populated and the swallows nest under some of the interstate viaducts, but not in the numbers of the past. The Mission has hired experts to try to lure them back. Many ideas have been tried, including mating calls, odors, nests and more.
Imagine my surprise when we drove up to Delores' church and swallows were everywhere!

Lamb's Fellowship Church

Swallows are smaller than I expected.

The swallows were flying around
so fast I didn't catch them in the air.

Mud nests

And more.

As I was talking photos of the swallows, several people from the church asked me if I'd like to take the swallows with me because they are so messy! 

Messy

Then I noticed the fake owls and
eagles they mounted on the roof!

After a ton of praise music, prayers, and a dynamic sermon:

Sermon included breaking the clay pot!

Looking out.

Electronic media.

In the front on the road

In the back, a beautiful fountain.

And an amphitheater.

Trinity Episcopal, Escondido, CA April 22, 2013

Mary has a beautiful voice. When we swapped babysitting, she went to choir practice and I took a bookkeeping class! Now she sings in her church choir and Sweet Adaline's. Tonight I went with her to practice in Trinity Episcopal. When I was at the Episcopal Camp Stevens for a ECW retreat, there were several women from Trinity that helped me feel welcomed.

Photo from the web.

Looking into this modern church
done in a traditional fashion.

I'm fascinated by this altar.

Amazing!

Something new of something traditional.

The Bishops Chair.

Over in the side chapel.

There was no wall separation.

Beautiful! 

Jesus turning water into wine.

Mary and Martha with Jesus

Looking out. Would love to hear this organ.

Flower Fields on "Earth Day", Carlsbad, CA April 22, 2013

We saw this huge U.S. Flag of Flowers along a hillside, little did I know we were going to see it up close. As it turns out, it's more visible from the street because it is so vast.

Featuring the Ranunculus. A What?
Native to Asia Minor, it is a member of the buttercup family
of flowers commonly referred to as the Persian Buttercup. First
grown in the San Diego area by botanist Luther Gage around 1921.

It was so bright on the fields!
Antique Tractor Wagon Ride

A Ranunculas up close,
with it's tissue paper petals.

We had to pay extra to ride in
the tractor wagon. Well worth it!

Captured this tractor at the end of the greenhouse.

The Artist Garden designed by
Patricia Patterson in 2002. Don
Miller maintains the colorful garden.

Photo of people taking photos!

Stars of the flag I mentioned above.

As you can see, we were too close, but perhaps you
can see the scope of how large it is.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven and I took many
many more photos.

Eight

Very unusual to find a patch without
a different color.

My theory on Van Gogh's White Iris
holds true. Our eye catches the difference.

From the top of the hill we could see the Pacific Ocean
 and a good restaurant in the windmill.

There were a few workers picking
the flowers for retail sales. It
is back-bending work.

But mostly were tourists out on this Monday morning.
The Flower Fields keeps some of the seeds for sale, and
after the blooming season, digs up the tubers for retail
sales, lets the field rest, and reseed for the new harvest.
It takes about 5 months from seed to flower.
It takes less time to grow from the tubers.

As if all these spectacular fields weren't enough, other gardens and fun are at the bottom of the fields.

A Fairy Garden

Dedication to the rose garden

Mary in front of the rose garden.

Debut
All-American Rose Selection

Gardens everywhere!

Crocus!

In the greenhouse, this
hardy Poinsettia

Mary is friends with the
lady this one is named for!

Ohhhhh!

Awwwww!

The sweet pea is native to Sicily and Southern Italy. It is
a climbing annual with richly colored flowers possessing
a captivating fragrance of honey and orange blossom.
My Daddy
always had a fence of Sweet Peas blooming in the spring.

The difference between a maze and a
labyrinth is a maze has dead ends. Yes,
this one did have lots of dead ends.
Someone passed the word to keep
turning right and we made it out!

See how tall the sweet peas are?

Nice path, beautiful flowers.

Many colors of Sweet Peas.

As this isn't enough, they have a colorful and safe playground for the kids!

Santa's Village

For ages 2 - 12