pleasure in simple things

under the banyan tree

May 14, 2019

A tree covering three quarters of a mile in area? Amazing!

That is what I thought when I saw my first banyan tree. The first one I saw happened to be in Fort Myers, Florida – home of one of the largest banyan trees in the world! If you have been to Hawaii or Calcutta, you may have seen one even larger!

The banyan tree is a Ficus.

The tree I saw was planted in the 1920’s by Thomas Edison and his colleagues Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. In 1927, the three men were concerned about America’s dependence on foreign rubber sources for its industrial enterprises. They formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation (EBRC), and the following year, built a Laboratory in Fort Myers, which became the project’s international headquarters.

The trio were looking for a fast-growing natural source of rubber that could be grown in the United States. The banyan tree was just one of more than 17,000 plant specimens that were tested during the project. (Goldenrod was eventually selected as the most suitable plant.)

All the photos I’ve shared here are from the same single tree I visited on the grounds of Edison’s Botanic Research Laboratory in Florida!

I hope you all had an amazing Mother’s Day weekend. Enjoy your week ahead!

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

no comments

a may sunset

May 10, 2019

Hi friends! It’s been a busy work week, but I thought I’d share the one sunset I was able to break away for!

Enjoy your weekend!

And, Happy Mother’s Day!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

baking with olive oil

May 7, 2019

A really cool thing I did while in California was to attend an olive oil tasting. You may have done this before, but it was my very first time. The place I went to in San Juan Capistrano offered an assortment of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and wines…as well as appetizers created from their offerings.

The reason I wanted to post something about this was so I could share with you the amazing aha moment I had during my visit. What was it? To find out olive oil is a substitute for butter in baking! Why had I never thought of this healthy alternative!

The best part of my visit was hearing some of the pairings possible…like using blood orange infused olive oil in place of butter in a brownie recipe!

I hope my discovery may inspire you to try using olive oil in your baking!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. If you want to be adventurous and order some flavored oils to try in baking, you can order them from We Olive & Wine Bar in San Juan, Capistrano, California – a great family business!

no comments

venice beach

May 3, 2019

I have one more beach to share from my last California trip!

Venice beach – a ‘must stop’ when visiting southern California. It is the iconic ‘muscle beach.’ The muscle beach part doesn’t really impress me…although, the guy this tribute was created for is iconic in my book! The first one to really embrace the fitness craze! You may not even know who he is, but generations ago he had a fitness show on television. He was to fitness what Julia Child was to cooking!

Dreaming of beaches has been a big past time lately since, here in Connecticut, we finally have some warm weather!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

mission san juan capistrano

April 30, 2019

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

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

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

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!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

hollywood swingin’

April 26, 2019

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!

And a footprint or two were interesting as well!

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

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

no comments

boyhood home of a president

April 23, 2019

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

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.

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.

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 ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

laguna dreams

April 19, 2019

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!

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!

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

no comments

in plane view

April 16, 2019

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

There was also a jar in the oval office!

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

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!

no comments

national library week with graves

April 12, 2019

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!

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.