Day Trip To Filoli Gardens (Reprise)

We started out the day by driving to San Francisco as Filoli Gardens is 30 miles south of the City. This photo of the City is taken from Treasure Island in the middle of the Bay. We think it provides the best skyline photo to be had on a clear day. Jim went to Hong Kong a few years ago and he always tells me that as large and picturesque as this is, the Hong Kong skyline and Bay are many times bigger.

This is a photo from the car window on the Bay Bridge traveling about 40 miles an hour!

We were talking about how much we love "our" City and the fact that of all the places we have lived this seems to be the most magical. We have decided that it is not just that it was our first home back in 1968 but also that for us the City is just sprinkled with "Fairy Dust!" No comment you guys! We mean the fairies with the little wands and big wings.

This is a beautiful home in the
Pacific Heights neighborhood.

I just love these bougainvilleas!
Often you can hear me sigh and the brakes coming
to a screeching halt so I can jump out for a photo.
What a great Hubby!

We took the back roads to Filofi Gardens
and finally reached the visitors' center.
We passed a lot of interesting things along
the way that you just never see from the freeway.

The Name of the Estate was created by the original
owner to represent thoughts he tried to live by..
Fight passionately for a good cause,
Love others and
Live a good life."
The first two letters of each part of his credo,
Fi Lo Li!

We went on a two hour tour of the mansion and the gardens. This is the entrance to the big house that sits majestically in the middle of 654 acres. It was built between 1917 and 1919 and belonged to the man who owned the most productive mineral mine in California in Grass Valley at that time.

In 1917 my Dad was born, in 1918 Jim's Dad was born and 1919 my Mom was born. That put it into perspective for us. They were born a long time ago!!

The original owner was William Bourne II and he also owned many other lucrative businesses of the day. To put it mildly, these people had money to burn. After their deaths in 1936, the home was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Roth and they owned the Matson Navigation Company. At the death of Mrs. Roth in 1975 the home and the expansive estate were donated to the National Trust of Historic Preservation. This was her way of insuring that the estate would be maintained and enjoyed by many in the years to come. (And no doubt, lightening the tax burden on her heirs.)

We thought the entry way was so beautiful. The begonias were beyond gorgeous.
The entry of a home is so important
and this one just beckoned,
"Welcome...come in...enjoy!"

There are 43 room not including
bathrooms and storage areas.

The house is primarily a modified Georgian style...think big rectangular box and then imagine it in a U shaped configuration. So three rectangles forming a U. It has a lot of French influence, as well as Flemish detailing. It contains lots of English antiques and area rugs, and tapestries and various artifact from all over the world. Much of it is from the original decor including many of the luxurious draperies. There is an area rug originally owned by Queen Victoria.

The home was filled with many pieces of crystal and silver and china. The silver was kept in a locked safe and comprised over 900 pieces of silverware and serving pieces.

The massive stove came off of one the
Matson Ocean Liners.
Phenomenal Copper Collection!

Be still my beating heart...
I am coveting this amazing Butler's Pantry here.
It sits conveniently between the huge
kitchen and the dining room.

A portion of the elegant dining room

The library

This home has been used to film many movies including Heaven Can Wait, Lolita, George of the Jungle, The Joy Luck Club, The Wedding Planner and the most recently filmed..Rent.

This gorgeous ballroom has a 22 foot ceiling.
The tapestries on the walls are immense.
Can you imagine the parties they had here?
The Roths' had twin daughters that had
their debutante ball here.
An ocean liner full of orchids from Hawaii
were brought in for the event.

The upstairs is not available to be toured at this time.

This is the stairway used in Dynasty although
they switched it to the other side
of the room for that series by flipping the film
for a mirror image.

A little sitting room with a portrait of Mrs. Roth in her beloved garden.

A view of one side of the house.

The colors in the gardens are astoundingly brilliant.

The Sunken Garden

The lady who was our docent was very knowledgeable about the plants and flowers in the many gardens. We learned the name of our mystery bush that is blooming in our own garden outside our new bathroom windows. It has a canopy of white star burst blossoms and is a Chilean Myrtle. Since it is from the southern hemisphere it blooms in the late summer and early fall instead of the spring!

(It was worth the trip just for this little
serendipity tidbit of information!)

This is the Garden House

It sits out in the middle of the Garden and was seen as a sign of wealth and prestige in the early 1900's. (Like they needed a sign!) If you saw, The Wedding Planner, this is the place that Matthew Mc Connahaughey went to exercise while J Lo did the wedding planning. When they film movies here they often just empty the rooms and fill in with whatever they need. The Library that is shown above has been used exactly as it is in most films. The movie companies have done a lot of the restoration of the mansion over the years. It is a nice perk for the Foundation and it is some great publicity to be featured in a film too!

The best part of this experience was just discovering this beautiful place so close to home and so under publicized. It was beyond lovely, not too crowded and completely enjoyable from beginning to end. If your live in the area it is well worth the trip. The admission is $15.00 per person and included the guided tour. A real bargain. It is wheelchair accessible and relatively flat with only a few stairs. Three cheers for that from my knee! It is a winner. They have a lovely Christmas fund raiser with beautiful decor and music and shopping and luncheons and teas...they may see me another time this year! Doesn't that sound like fun? Saving my pennies starting now!

The Best Day In Santa Cruz!

Some things just never change!  Whether it is Coney Island or Lagoon or The Santa Cruz Boardwalk, The State Fair or Five Flags, there is fun in the air.  So many people love that playful carnival atmosphere and the carefree days spent there.  They love the arcades, the sea air, the sand, the deep fried foods and the rides.  All of it speaks of summer, relaxation and the smell of sunscreen and wet bathing suits. 

Oh how I use to love the State Fair when I was young.  One of the perks of living in Sacramento was having the State Fair so close.  We all looked forward to it for months and went almost every night that someone's parents would give us a lift down there.  The lights, the rides, the Midway...how could anyone ever forget that from when they were a kid?  It was two weeks of teen heaven. And all the carni games where cute boys would win teddy bears for girls.  I had one on my bed for years, long after we moved west.  It was about 30 inches tall and lavender and white.  I have no clue who won it for me, but I haven't forgotten that bear!

Aren't they the cutest?
Moms can say that, right?

Guess who is the biggest kid here?
Yep, Grampa!


The way it's done...

after you look around a bit and see what's there

you start out slow on the Merry-Go- Round!

An ariel view is always nice to get the lay of the land



Zach and Connor in front
Grampa and Aynslee behind them



The build up...taking it really slow
during the acclimation period
as the tension builds..



The Leals happened to be in Santa Cruz

 so perfect....they met up at the Boardwalk.

Andy and Chris have been friends 
since they were little.

 It was a great opportunity for their kids 
to be together and for them to catch up!

Bethy, John, Sarah, Willsey, and Aron Row 1

Connor, Owen, Andy  Row 2

Missy, Zach, Aynslee  Row 3

Grampa, Christopher  and Camera Row 4

#sincebethysmiddlenameishashtagithought
idshowhericandoittoo

#theselealsaresomeofourfavoritelifetimefriends

Ah, the fried stuff.  
Can't you smell the rancid recycled grease? 
 I thought Twinkies were gone from the earth
 but apparently not!
  But then they do have an extraordinary 
shelf life, right?

This looks like what Connor ordered
 if I were guessing!

It I had been there I'd have gotten Cotton Candy!
I like its magic disappearing act!

It is time to get into the serious rides!



Owen looking a little pensive as he waits!

I do not know what this ride is called but I call if the Free Fall.  You get strapped into this contraption.  When everyone is secure and apparently barefoot you shoot straight up in the air at a high speed.  You are up there just long enough to look around a little and then it free falls straight to the ground leaving your tummy in mid air.   It stops right before they have to scrape you off the pavement.  (How is this fun...remind me?)

Oh I know you scream all the way down unless you 
are trying to keep a fried Twinkie down, Con!
Just kidding, Connor, I know this came before the treat
but it sure does look like you might be doing that!

This one is called the Pirate Ship.  

It reminds me of what they use to call 

the Hammer in the old days.

Grampa looks scared here but 
I know he'd say he was faking it!

The ultimate goal has been attained here!
Little Sarah is completely terrorized!
Making her realized that she wants to remain tiny forever
So Daddy can protect her (and keep her home longer!)
Good job, Andy!
Aron is smiling but Will is just not too sure about this thing!

#isnaggedthisphotofromfacebookfrombethyspagedonttell

The old Rickety Wooden Roller Coaster
(Hopefully Retrofitted)

Some things do change after all. 

I use to love this thing when I was a kid.

Now I'd rather not even watch people I love riding it.

It is just wonderful to see your kids and grandkids

 enjoying the fullness of their lives.  

I always say about kids...they are double jeopardy and they double your pleasure and your fun too.  They double your sorrows when they are struggling or sick or hurting, but when they are happy and enjoying their lives and on top of the world,  they double your joy as well.  And my real super joy is in knowing how much fun Grampa had right along with them. And for me my great happiness came in having them here, in enjoying them tell me about everything and in writing these memories down for them.

It reminded me of decorating in far away lands like Canada or Italy or Utah or Moraga via the Internet and some photos like I have often done and still do.  It is not quite like being there but it gets the job done nicely.  The pictures might be a little out of sequence but hopefully it will be fun reminder of the day for them.

They were all so sweet and supportive towards me and I don't feel like I missed out on a thing.  By the end of the week I was feeling almost back to normal.   Taking it easy was the right choice for all concerned.  I didn't have to be stressed about keeping up when I was not feeling well and they were not burdened by curtailing any plans because of me.  Win/win.

Their last day here we relaxed and they packed up and we played and had a nice BBQ with a few friends that Chris wanted to talk with and Jim's mom.  It was a warm summer night and things were good.  So good.  We sure hope they had fun and will come back again soon!

We love them all and are so proud of their little family! All the hard work you have done to make it so is obvious, Chris and Melissa!  Woohoo!

Exploring the Exploratorium

Wednesday was the Exploratorium Day for the kids.  The late night at the game the night before precluded getting an early start so they left here about 10:30 am and picked up Grandma Gloria, Jim's Mom. The first stop was Treasure Island!  We always love taking photos from here as you may know.

Owen, Connor Aynslee and Zach

By the time they arrived in San Francisco it was time for lunch so they planned a stop at our favorite Pizzeria.  Pasquale's on 8th and Irving.

Four generations of Pasquale's Pizza lovers!

They brought me a doggie box!
"This is for you, Gramma!  Ah, thanks Zachary!"

After lunch they made their way to the Exploratorium and stayed until everyone was done.  They got home just before 8:30 that night and I had chili waiting for them as a late dinner.  Not exactly a summer meal but I had to cook with what I had as they had both vans with them.  They didn't seem to mind at all.  So they were in the Exploratorium about 7 hours or so.

The Exploratorium is a very unique Hands-On Science Museum created 40 years ago by Frank Oppenheimer.  They just recently moved to a new location on the Emarcadero, in the City.   It is a very unique place and the short video below explains their mission and a little more about it.  This is a great learning experience for all ages.  It exemplifies what I always say when I teach genealogy. " If you want to learn you have to put your hands on it!"  http://bcove.me/q34x7nq2

 The Exploratorium use to be located here.

 

The Palace of Fine Arts 
in an adjoining building.

I use to love it here because if I decided I'd had enough I could go outside and enjoy this and the lake and big beautiful shade trees and read a book or something.  But the building was old and there was a hassle finding parking here.  So off they went to here:

It is inside Pier 15

Guess which venue I like better?  Yep, The Palace.  However, this venue is so much nicer inside. And from the back you can sit out and look at the Bay. So it is progress, right?  Here are a few shots from their website.

Obviously a good decision has been made

The kids really loved this day.  Owen could not stop talking about it that night.  He just thought it was such a fun place.  They had so much stamina through out the whole week!

Outside Sign on a windy day!

Aynslee on Man Vs Machine...Guess Who Wins?

The New Zachary-Doodle

Zach Building The Roman Arch~It Worked!

20 Questions Game with Mom and Dad

More Questions~Owen Testing His Big Brother, Connor
 while Zach looks on

Grampa and Aynslee sit in a chair 2x bigger
 than the chair to their left.  This is to check our
Perspective on scale.  Visually it is often off!

Optical Illusion

Connor and Owen having fun 

while Grandma Gloria looks on.

  Oh I am so glad she does not have a computer!  
I'd be in the dog house 
with my doggie box from Pasquale's!

Well, as I said the enthusiasm from Owen and all the other kids was pretty telling.  They loved their day at the Exploratorium~Mission Accomplished.  They dropped into their tent and were fast asleep pretty quickly.  As you may have figured out by now, we do whirlwind vacations...running all the time in our family.  So the next day...up at the crack of dawn for the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  It is Next Up on the blog so come on back!

Take Me Out to The Ball Game

http://youtu.be/qscED3psy_U

Tuesday was the San Francisco Giant's Baseball Game extravaganza when the kids were here.  During the morning we all just relaxed and played and enjoyed each other.  The main event was a night game but the family was taking BART (the train) into San Francisco.  So that meant leaving around 4:30 PM. 

I was planning on going to work around 2:00 as I was doing a lesson and I didn't feel comfortable being gone for many many hours on public transportation with my b/p acting up.  Jim's mom was able to go with them so that was nice for the family. 

So we all headed out in different directions in the afternoon.  Here is our true confession.  Our family is not really that into sports.  It has been decades since Jim and I went to a Giants game.  We use to love to go to Candlestick Park when we lived in San Francisco as newlyweds.  I think we went on my birthday for the first few years, huddled under a blanket and ate hots dogs.  It was a fun event then and we usually also went out to dinner before the game at a place called Tad's Steak House downtown.  Living in SF was thrilling all the time.  I'd go back there in a minute to a flat if we could keep our cottage as an alternate country home.  Now that is dreaming big!

At the ball game in the old days, you chatted with those around you and enjoyed the experience.  We knew all the players and had the sense they were "Our Team"  That was back in the Willie Mays days.  Since then we kind of lost track of all of that in the mix of life.  So Jim was excited to go back again.  Of course now there is the new ATandT stadium.

 Google Image

I  have not been inside the stadium but Jim relayed it is very nice.  I think I would just love to be able to sit out there in the middle of San Francisco like that.  I love how they have incorporated it right into the hub and heart The City by demolishing old structures and making the space useful again.  In a few generations it will seem like it was always there like many of the other professional sports arenas and stadiums throughout the country.

The family taking BART to the game.  It was not crowded going over but coming home they had to stand most of the way.  BART is fun to ride on if you don't linger on the idea that it tunnels under a mountain and passes underwater across the bay in a  tube from Oakland to San Francisco.  It is less expensive than driving and parking and more convenient and no traffic jams.  So hey, it all good!  They have replaced the old seats recently and it looks nicer than it use to so that is great to see.

These giant sculptures are SF's take on cool art and my brother assures me they are pretty spectacular as I sit here trying to write this post alone in the house, about a place I have never been and an event I didn't attend.  Steve reports that these are out near a really nice play area that have constructed for kids.  He said the coke bottle is undoubtedly a sponsorship contribution and the mitt is just old looking and funky and makes the park that much better.  They can be seen from everywhere in the park.  And if you are seated in the bleaches they are behind you. 

Here are the eager spectators, early and ready for the festivities.  Baseball games are not just baseball games anymore but multimedia extravaganzas.  A lot of time and money goes into making sure there is never a dull moment as there often can be if you are just left dependent upon the game itself.  You know the routine...three up three down at the top and bottom of many innings.

This game was not won by the Giants but Jim assured me there were some very exciting moments.  They were playing the Mets and there has always been some natural rivalry with them because the San Fransisco Giants use to be NewYork Giants back in the day.  But alas, they didn't play like the World Champions they are currently....so they lost!

Chris and Missy just two of the 41,000

 in attendance which is considered a sell out crowd.

I think they were happy they had

 selected this activity for their vacation.

They all seemed to have had a great time and didn't

 arrive back home until way past midnight.  

There was one really historic thing that happened in this game which you can see in the video link below.

The Giants have a brand new Japanese rookie on the team and that night was his first ever game in the big leagues.  That night is one he will never forget for a lot of reasons...check it out...After the moment in the video he got up to bat and got a hit his first time up.  He got a standing ovation from the crowd!  You don't see that very often...41,000 people unified in thought and honoring one individual for an exemplary first game in the major leagues.

This is all about Kensuke Tanaka, an up and coming baseball phenomenon it seems from day one!  Just listening to and watching this 31 second video clip brings back so many memories of my Dad who loved baseball and often listened to it on the radio and on TV.

The sounds of baseball never changes even though most of the other things have.  It is not just peanuts and popcorn and Cracker Jacks and beer anymore.  There are gourmet restaurants and concessions and even the hot dogs got fancy with a price tag of $7:00!

But if I had been there I would have gotten one because the only place hot dogs rock is in a ball park at a night game!  Then they are worth every cent of whatever they charge.  Somethings are just so American, Mom and Apple Pie and all the rest of it...and that is simply one of them!  See if this 31 seconds brings you back to the good ole days!  Be patient it takes awhile to load...enjoy!

http://youtu.be/aRchwB2qarU