Jeff had business meetings in California end of February, so of course I came back to the states with him. While he was doing important stuff, I was visiting with my sweet cousin, driving down Sunset Boulevard and enjoying walks on the beach. (Hey, someone has to enjoy life--might as well be me:) I have not spent time in California since I was a small child, so I really enjoyed the experience. On Sunday afternoon my cousin drove me down Sunset Boulevard and I hung out the window snapping pictures of famous spots along the street. The following week the Oscars were being held at Kodak Theater, so they had "Oscar" out front wrapped up ready to set the stage for the big event. We stopped to take pictures of the Hollywood stars. Next we took a leisurely drive down the coast as the sun was setting--it was BEAUTIFUL!
Jeff's first meetings were at the Ritz-Carlton at Laguna Niguel. This hotel sits on a cliff right above the ocean and the view is tremendous. Our balcony faced the ocean and you could hear the waves on the beach day and night! I found myself taking pictures from the balcony often--I never got enough of it. On my first full day there I went to the concierge and asked what outings they had available just for the day. They told me about "Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari" and 30 minutes later I was getting ready to board the catamaran for my big "safari".
First they took us out and we sighted 3-4 whales, and even though they were quite a distance away, it was pretty neat to see them. Next we went out further and found 30-40 dolphins. They were so fun and just swam along with the boat, like they were playing with us. The captain (Tim, not Dave) said they do this often and seem to like the boats. On the left hull of the catamaran it was hollowed out and Plexiglas was put in so that you could climb down this narrow stairway and crouch down to actually be eye-level with the dolphins as the boat was flying through the water and they were keeping pace with it. This was cool! I couldn't get enough of it and kept snapping pictures, even though they aren't very clear through Plexiglas.
The boat ride out and back was probably an hour and the view of the mansions along the bluffs was very nice. On the way back in we spotted sea lions just hanging out. All in all I had a great time on my big safari!
Jeff's meetings took us to Huntington Beach at the Hyatt Hotel for the end of the week. This hotel was located across from the beach, but a walkway from the hotel over the highway made it easy to cross and enjoy the sand and sun. I took a walk out to the pier one morning and was just amazed by all the surfers. At the end of the pier is "Ruby's Diner" and I had to go try one of their "famous chocolate turtle shakes", even though it was 9 in the morning. OUR Ruby has gone there often since she was born in California and comes back to visit regularly, so it was special! While I was drinking my shake a man caught a small shark off the end of the pier. I was impressed:)
After my week in California I now understand why people want to live there. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was unbelievable. I will definitely try to visit again!
