A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY HOME
Greetings and Happy Christmas Eve!
Each December my husband and I spend a weekend with some dear friends that live in a beautiful beach house near where I grew up.
We always have a wonderful time and get treated to lots of fun activities during our annual visit. It is particularly enjoyable for me because it’s a sentimental journey home.
I was born in Long Beach, California so I get a kick out of visiting my old stomping grounds, that of late bears little resemblance to when I lived nearby. In fact, Seaside Hospital where I came into the world was demolished and made into a city park.
The old beachside amusement park called The Pike where we went as kids has been all spiffied up.
It used to be a mile long fun zone with roller coasters, ferris wheels and fun houses. It was a kids paradise.
Now it’s mostly a lovely park lined with restaurants and shops and an overhead walkway made to look like the famous old rollercoaster.
The best part of our recent visit to The Pike was shopping at the Restoration Hardware outlet store. I was hoping to find some treasures for my new/old log cabin.
Long Beach has experienced a major urban renewal of late and the waterfront area is really lovely.
Our stroll took us past the lighthouse you see in the lower left corner of the aerial photo above.
And it affords one a beautiful view of the old luxury liner turned hotel, The Queen Mary.
We watched as a sail boat entered the harbor, enjoying a lovely winter’s day in California.
On a sunny day in December here in Long Beach it’s easy to forget that there’s snow on the ground back home in Lake Arrowhead, a mere 1 and a half hours away.
Later that night we enjoyed dinner out followed by a theater performance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The next morning we took another stroll along the beach, this time at nearby Seal Beach.
Beyond the sea gulls and oil rigs, cargo ships could be seen lined up for miles, awaiting entry into the port of Los Angeles. The longshoremen have staged a slowdown, causing ships loaded with Christmas cargo to wait days to enter port to unload.
Seal Beach also has a charming downtown with streets lined with quaint shops and restaurants. I couldn’t resist popping into this adorable shop called Petals and Pop. It’s a florist/gift shop and could not have been more charming.
I spied this adorable Princess and the Pea playset and just had to have it for my granddaughter.
The sweet young woman in the shop wrapped it up in such a unique way…
using craft paper, felt and twine…
and embellishing it with cinnamon sticks on top.
Shopping was followed by a late breakfast at another Seal Beach institution, Crema Cafe and Artisan Bakery where I had my obligatory Latte.
The food as you can see, was delicious!
After breakfast we bid our friends farewell and continued on to a real sentimental journey home. My aging father recently sold our family home in Huntington Harbor. For over 40 years he lived in what was quite a masterpiece of a Mid Century Modern home, located waterfront along the canal in the photo below. Dad bought the home from chocolate magnet Helen Grace of Helen Grace Candies. Rumor had it that the new owners were making improvements and I was curious see, so I asked my husband to drive me back to what had been my childhood home.
What we discovered was that the only thing remaining of our home was the stone wall in front…
and the boat dock in the back. One day soon I’m sure it will be a lovely home. But sadly for me and my family it’s no longer our home, proving the old Thomas Wolfe adage to be true that “you can’t go home again”.
I hope you are enjoying your own sentimental journey home with the ones you love this Christmas Eve. I wish you the merriest of Christmases and look forward to sharing the New Year with you.
In closing I wanted to share this video concert with you. Starting with a single cellist on the floor of the National Air and Space Museum’s “Milestones of Flight” gallery, and swelling to 120 musicians, The U.S. Air Force Band exhilarated museum visitors with its first-ever flash mob. Watch it, feel good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cKE8pyfcZc
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND JOY TO THE WORLD!
So there you have it: A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY HOME
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