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mission san juan capistrano

April 30, 2019

bells at the Mission

A cool place to visit when in Southern California is the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano.

doorway at Mission

flowers at Mission

Founded in 1776 and located in San Juan Capistrano, it is home to Orange County’s first buildings.

lone palm at Mission

mission arch

Though not functioning as a mission today, the ruin remains the cultural heart of its community.

mission landscape

plant covered archways at Mission

Even more than the history, the esthetics of the ruins are so inspiring!  I’m wanting to pick one of the photos I took and use it to create some wallpaper!

stone and brick at Mission

stone colunns at Mission

Thanks for stopping by!

stone detail at Mission

stones at Mission

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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hollywood swingin’

April 26, 2019

Sinatra at Chinese Theatre

I guess everyone needs to make a quick swing by the Chinese Theatre movie palace when in Hollywood!  After all, it is the most sought-after theatre in Hollywood for studio premieres!  And, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is right there!

I wasn’t interested in looking at every star on my visit, but I did find a couple I thought were pretty cool to look at!

Chinese Theatre

And a footprint or two were interesting as well!

Shirley Temple

Whose star would cause you to stop and take a photo?

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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boyhood home of a president

April 23, 2019

Nixons home

My recent trip to Southern California gave me the opportunity to check two Presidential Libraries off my list!

Nixon Library

The second Presidential Library I visited was the Richard Nixon Library in Northern Orange County.  Though I did not find it as impressive as the Ronald Reagan Library, I did find some great displays.

helicopter at Nixon Library

My favorite feature of this library was that it was built on the location of the Nixon family’s small citrus farm.  The campus is also the site of Richard Nixon’s boyhood home.  (It is the white house in the first photo above.)  It was so very interesting to walk through the extremely modest home owned by the Nixon family – built from a kit bought from a department store!

The replica of the Oval Office included the insignia decorated carpet – the first.  This became a tradition for every administration that followed.

Nixons carpet oval office

As the only President to resign from office, there were certainly some interesting pieces of history to examine at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum.  Although, based on crowd reaction, this artifact may have garnered just as much interest ;)

Nixon and Elvis

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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laguna dreams

April 19, 2019

laguna beach

The quintessential Southern California spot for me is Laguna Beach!

It has such great vibes!  I couldn’t let an area visit go by without a quick stop to my favorite beach!

Laguna Beach Lifeguard

Here are a couple photos for today’s Friday field trip to show you why Laguna Beach is so addicting!  This trip, I brought back a great souvenir – a perfectly beautiful piece of driftwood.  Placed on my desk, it is a constant reminder of beach days ahead!

visiting Laguna Beach

gelato at Laguna Beach

Have a wonderful weekend!  Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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in plane view

April 16, 2019

Reagan plane

One of my many varied interests is Presidential Libraries.  It started with a trip to the LBJ Library in Texas and now I hope to visit every one!  They are such an awesome tribute to our country’s history.

Reagans oval office

A trip to California gave me the opportunity to add two Presidential Libraries to my visited list!

Reagan portrait

Visiting the Ronald Reagan museum at the time I did was pretty amazing.  In addition to the library itself, California was experiencing a period of ‘greenness’ that hadn’t been experienced in many years.  Instead of the area landscape looking brown and dried out, the library, perched on a mountaintop, provided breath-taking lush, green overlooks of Simi Valley, California.  I think the locals visiting the library took more photos of the outdoor views than the actual library itself!

Reagan Sign

You know I always seem to find a theme in all I do.  The theme of this visit was transportation…I loved seeing the plane, helicopter, and car President Reagan used for travel.  The star of the show is Air Force One.  (Click here for a video of Air Force One at Reagan Library)   It is displayed majestically with the beautiful landscape in full view.

reagans helicopter

reagans car

Air Force One 27000 carried Ronald Reagan to 26 countries and 46 states covering more than 660,000 miles.  It served as the “Flying White House” for President Reagan and six other presidents – Nixon, Ford, Carter, H.W. Bush, Clinton, and W. Bush.

Visitors are allowed to walk through both the plane and the helicopter on display, but are asked not to take photos inside the aircrafts.  Bummer…I really did want to take a photo to show you the jar of jelly beans in Air Force One!

Ronald Reagans plane

There was also a jar in the oval office!

oval office Reagan

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few photos from my visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

Nancy Reagan portrait

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S.  It is interesting to note that the helicopter shown here was built in my home state of Connecticut!

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national library week with graves

April 12, 2019

Graves designed library

I don’t think I am the only one to visit libraries when I travel, but I guess it may be considered kind of nerdy by some!

Graves designed San Juan Capistrano LIbrary

michael graves light fixture

In honor of National Library Week, for this week’s Friday field trip, I’d like to share some photos from my visit to the library in San Juan Capistrano when I was in Southern California.

Library at San Juan Capistrano

outdoor view San Juan Capistrano library

I was eager to fit in a quick stop to the library while in the town because it was designed by Michael Graves.

Library San Juan Capistrano by M Graves

Pretty cool, don’t you think?

historic plaque

Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like visiting a new library!  xo Jackie

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boston’s courtyard tea room

April 9, 2019

wrapped gift

One of the great things about living in the Northeast is being able to visit some fabulous city libraries.  Boston, New York, New Haven, Philadelphia…all locations of wonderfully historic libraries!   Today it seems appropriate to have a library related post during National Library Week!

florals at BPL Tea Room

Courtyard Tea Room Light Fixture

Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library (BPL) has the added distinction as the first large free municipal library in the United States.  The present Central Library in Copley Square has been home to the library and has served as its headquarters since 1895, when Charles Follen McKim completed his “palace for the people.”

champagne cocktails

The champagne cocktails served in the Courtyard Tea Room are subtly infused with tea!

Tea Room Cheese Board

Though I have visited the BPL many times, until very recently, I had never attended an event held in the library.  This changed when some special friends invited me to attend a baby shower in the library’s Courtyard Tea Room!

A Baby Shower at BPL

I was so excited, not only to attend an event in the Tea Room, but also to spend time with friends as well.  A literary themed baby shower!  How cool!  My love for old books was set into overdrive!

sweets for tea

Tea Room at BPL

I would need to wrap the gift I brought on theme, of course!  I also ordered a book in the shape of the baby’s initial to include with my gift. I love that all the invited shower guests were asked to bring the baby a book in place of a card!  (So hard to choose just one!)

berry tart

scone and curd

Overlooking the beautiful Italianate Courtyard in the Boston Library’s historic McKim building, this stunning venue is the perfect location for a grand occasion!

The Courtyard at Boston Public Library

The newly renovated Map Room adjoining the Tea Room is also a great spot to visit as well!  The Map Room serves wonderful tea infused cocktails with a literary theme like ‘tequila mockingbird’ and ‘catcher in the rye.’  Look at the stunning overhead view in the Map Room!

overhead in the Map Room

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you are inspired to celebrate National Library Week in a special way!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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cali beach dreams

April 5, 2019

Dana Point view

With temperatures reaching in the 60’s this past weekend in Connecticut, thinking ahead to beach days is definitely in order!

rocks and sun at Laguna Niguel

sunset at Laguna Niguel

bird of paradise

For today’s Friday field trip, in honor of warmer weather glimpses, some of my favorite outdoor photos from my last trip to the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel!

Laguna Niguel Ritz

RitzCarlton view

guard stand at Laguna Niguel

Have a wonderful weekend!

Laguna Niguel Ritz Carlton beach

rocks on Laguna Niguel beach

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

 

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cocktails in west hollywood

April 2, 2019

decor at Pump

Work trips don’t provide much free time but during my last trip to California, I scheduled in a little time to see a friend and visit a couple night spots in West Hollywood.

Our first stop was for drinks and apps at Tom Tom – a newer spot and one that is featured on the TV show Vanderpump Rules.  I was immediately enamored with the décor of the place.  Wow!  It is so cool!  The theme of clocks and gears is implemented in a really interesting way behind the bar – with working gears!

Click here for a short video at Tom Tom!

And, the light fixtures are awesome – you know I can’t resist a great light fixture!

cool lighting at Tom Tom

double light fixture at Tom Tom

pendant at Tom Tom

This bar is definitely worth a visit for the décor alone.  The drinks are really interesting (and really strong)!

drinking Madame Butterfly at Tom Tom

A quick stop two doors down proved to provide an awesome look at décor as well.  PUMP, in its pink haze and displaying an indoor garden, is beautiful!

Pump

As coincidence would have it, as I walked into PUMP so did Ken with Gigi under his arm!  (If you watch Vanderpump Rules or Beverly Hills Housewives, you know this duo!)

bar at PUMP

A couple of fun places to stop in West Hollywood!

Thanks for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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