L.A. Trip Part 5

Malibu.

It consists of a 21-mile strip of prime Pacific coastline. Located in Los Angles County, California, it is known for its many celebrity residents.

(southern view, from where we were ...)

We drove through Topanga Canyon to get to Malibu and I heartily recommend making the trip by car.

It is a stunning scenic ride!

The shoreline where we were was different from the vast expanses of beach I saw along the Washington coast line. The beach was peppered with cliffs and large rocks and that made for dramatic ocean shots. The climate is said to be "mediterranean like." I thought it was breathtaking and beautiful.

Richard and Cliff and I spent about two hours walking along the beach and climbing the cliffs. I shot a lot of photos of them being goofy and took pictures of the flora and fauna. There are more photos on my flickr sight, here, if you want to see ...

No clue with this flower is, but it made a great picture!

When we had tired of the beach, we began discussing food. And, wine. We found a little restaurant that was across the road from the ocean and we were able to sit out on the deck and watch the ocean and the traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway. There was a gigantic flower pot at the SW corner of the deck and while we sipped our wine, I spotted a hummingbird feeding on the blue flowers. Lucky me! I got this shot!

Between the gift dolls and the dolls I purchased at the convention, it was clear what I had to do. I shipped my clothes home and packed the loot in my suitcase for the journey back to Florida. Do I have my priorities straight, or what!?

I highly recommend Virgin America airlines for nonstop service to/from Fort Lauderdale-Los Angles. Loved the flight crew, and all the other folks I met along the way!

I hope to return to California soon, with my darling husband in tow. We've talked about doing the wine tour for years, so, who knows? If not this year, definitely next!

Southwest Coast of Florida

My darling husband was in the mood to get away a couple of weekends ago, so we took a ride across Alligator Alley to the southwest coast of Florida for an overnight adventure. We made our way to Naples and, with the help of my smart phone running the Android system, we found very nice accommodations at the Bayfront Inn on 5th Avenue for $105 for the night. As you can see, our room was very nice and quite spacious for the price!

The view from our window (below) was even more amazing because we could open the windows! That's unheard of in Fort Lauderdale where spring break college students have been known to leap out of hotel windows to their death. It was quite hot and muggy, though, so the windows didn't stay open very long!

Once we got settled in, we went off in search of food. As it was dinner time, my dh opted for European  cuisine at this little bistro just off one of Naples' major roads. The service was excellent and the food was to die for!

After dinner, we decided we needed to somehow work off the calories and it was decided that the beach would be the best place to do that. How we wound up on Vanderbilt Beach, I couldn't say, but what a treasure the place was! Easy access and free parking! A short walk to the beach which was peopled but not crowded. We had brought our portable chairs, so we set up camp along the water's edge and awaited the sunset.

I noticed that were huge patches of shells that had come in on the tide and started wandering along the beach, taking pictures. The rusty beer bottle cap caught my eye (above) as did the tiny shell in a shell (below). Mother Nature sure does have a sense of humor!

The sunset was absolutely spectacular! I took a bunch of pictures and the best of my sunset photos are on my flickr page, here, if you're interested. We had the best seats in the house and the price was right! AND, WHAT A GREAT SHOW!

Sunday morning we ventured into downtown Naples looking for breakfast and stumbled across a lovely little sidewalk cafe, Altin's Cafe & Grill. I adored the umbrellas that shaded the tables set up on the sidewalk. Each one was handpainted on the underside where patrons could enjoy their beauty and no two were alike! It made for a charming breakfast!

After breakfast, we did an exploratory ride around Naples and discovered old neighborhoods with beautifully kept homes close to the beach and a park where a church service was being held outdoors. Across the street from the park was this unusual wall of glass that reflected the light and colors around us. Naturally, I couldn't resist the urge to leap out of the car to capture a few shots of it!

We left Naples and drove south to Marco Island and then picked up the Tamiami Trail to head back east. Here are some of the images I captured along the way! I hope you enjoy them!

There were a lot of "puddles" along the roadside, a result of the thunderstorms from the day before. What really caught my attention was the dragonflies ... they were everywhere! I even zoomed in on a couple of them (below) because it fascinates me how they balance on the very tip-top of a cattail.

And, of course, no road trip is complete without capturing the image of a wildflower or two! Mother Nature was at her best on this particular day ... she filled the Tamiami Trail with dots of pink to cheer up the cattails and the dragonflies! She knows how to get my attention!!!