I haven’t been good about timely blog posts of late. I’ve been a bit distracted by the new love in my life, grandbaby Rowan; her parents, Taylor & Dan; as well as a fun visit from parents-to-be Austin (the birthday boy) & Kate. I never miss a MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY though, cause I have so many daily affirmations to share and hope they inspire everyone at the start of the week!
I did have a chance to do a couple of fun things in the past few weeks that I thought I’d share, in hopes it will motivate you to get out there and do something new on this last weekend in September. It’s supposed to be gorgeous here in SoCal, although a bit warmer than the crispy Fall weather we had this past weekend!
I’ve told you of my love of lighthouses…and I’ve had it on my list for a few years to check out the cool stone lighthouse on the beach in Laguna. Laguna is only about 25-30 minutes from my home and a gorgeous, quaint place to spend a day, but I rarely get down there. Not to self….GO TO LAGUNA MORE! Anyway, getting to the lighthouse is no quick feat. It is located on tiny Victoria Beach…a little gem of sand within a community of tightly packed homes. First you have to find parking in a very limited area…PCH is probably best.
If you do park on PCH make the trek through the neighborhood to a narrow (unmarked) set of stairs down to the beach. It wasn’t crowded ’cause, again, it’s not easy to get to, but it was worth the hike….and the stairs.
I found a spot on the sand, set up my chair and umbrella and set off to find the lighthouse. It’s not visible from where I was sitting, but it was right around a cliff, where there are some tide pools and crashing waves….and there it was!
You’re not supposed to go inside, but the heavy padlock on the door wasn’t latched, so people were up in the turret. I didn’t venture up there, but here’s a view of the winding staircase…so cool….
I sat down, relaxing with some magazines and the gorgeous view and then it was time to go.
OMG…those stairs!! This the first of a few flights, that seem to go on forever and by the time I got to the top I was gasping for air! …and I still had to make the trek uphill back to PCH. It didn’t look that challenging when I went down to the beach! If you feel like an adventure, go to Victoria Beach and bring your parking karma with you.
I’d seen, and loved, the musical Once on Broadway and at the movies, so when I heard it was coming to our local theatre, South Coast Rep, I really wanted to go again. My friends (& neighbors) Jan, Maggie and I bought tickets and decided to go to dinner beforehand. Scott’s Seafood in the Costa Mesa theatre district used to be a neighborhood favorite, but it closed in January 2016. The space was remodeled and reopened about a year ago as The Water Grill. Perfect opportunity to try the new place. First off, let me just say that the remodel is beautiful and the different bars and dining spaces are really cool. The menu leans heavily towards seafood…obviously…but there are steak, salad and other options available. It’s pretty expensive, but we opted for appetizers and a shared bottle of wine to keep our costs down a bit (although it was still $48/per person). I thought it was worth it.
We shared the fish tacos, tuna poke, and the goat cheese ravioli with water chestnuts and almonds….and a bottle of pinot.
All were yummy, the service was very good and the complimentary bread was pretty tasty too! I’d go again…even just for the ambience and a glass of wine. It was a happening place!
The musical, Once, is set in Ireland, so you gotta love that….and you can have drinks on stage before the show at the bar, which is part of the set.
It’s not a big musical like Wicked, or Dear Evan Hansen, but it’s a lovely story, with lovely Irish music and it’s a great way to spend an evening. It closes this Saturday, so you’ll have to jump on it, if there are any tickets left, but the theater is small, so all the seats are good, and the tickets are cheaper than anything in NYC.
…..and if you can’t get to Laguna, or tickets to Once….try one of my favorites, a duffy ride in Newport Harbor….always a good idea! Thanks to Mariellen & Peter I get to go much more often than I used to and I never tire of it!
…made better when you celebrate a birthday (this is my brother-in-law’s)
….or cuddle with a new family member (do you like my artsy filters?!)
…..and relish in the warmth of having friends and family to share time with…
