Reactivation of Blog

So it's been a long time since I've posted anything.... just settled in I guess and life isn't quite so interesting.

I'm going to try and change this into a craft blog starting with this post.

I'm taking an Online Card Class and if we do our homework and post our projects we may win some goodies... (and you all know I don't enough stuff already).

So the whole concept of the class is to add interest to the inside of the cards and part of the first day of "lectures" talked about pop ups.

So here is my version

Picture of the outside of the card and then the inside with the popup.

Images: Stampin' Up! Friends Never Fade, Fabulous Florets; Hero Arts Everyday Sayings
Paper: Watercolor Paper, Stampin' Up Whisper White, Early Espresso
Ink: Stampin' Up! Early Espresso, Ranger Distress Ink Mowed Lawn, Worn Lipstick
Other: Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Pen

So I'm a little behind...

Sorry for the lack of updates... I'd love to say it was because I was so busy having fun and exciting adventures but it is a sad thing to say that work has reared it's head.

Okay... so where did I leave off? I believe we were on our way to Yosemite National Park....

So here are some highlights

El Capitain... Can you believe people climb this rock?

On the walk to Yosemite Falls

Lower Yosemite Falls - I hear they often dry up by the end of the summer. Would be great to see what they look like in the spring.

Half Dome Rock

A great spot for a picnic lunch?

I didn't see the bear trap in the parking lot until AFTER we finished lunch....

Bridal Veil Falls

and then there are the very big trees...

First Earthquake...

"A magnitude 4.4 earthquake rattled Southern California on Tuesday night. The quake was reported at 11:23 p.m. and was centered around Yorba Linda in northern Orange County.

There was no immediate word of injuries or damage, but the quake was felt over a wide area.

According to the the U.S. Geological Survey, the temblor struck two miles northeast of Yorba Linda, about 29 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

It was felt from Long Beach northwest to Santa Monica, as well as in downtown L.A."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/08/44-earthquake-rattles-southern-california.html

So for those of you that didn't catch my Facebook notice... I actually felt this one...I'm sure though if I had been asleep I probably wouldn't have noticed it. Very strange sensation to feel the bed shake... it probably only lasted about 10 seconds but in that very short period of time I realized I hadn't really thought this all out. Things like... "where's the safest place in the apartment" came to mind.

The next day at work a couple of coworkers felt the aftershock but I must have too focussed in the meeting I was in to notice.

Good Bye San Fran and hello Yosemite July 2, 2012

Monday was a pretty full day --- ride a cable car to China Town and walk to Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and then walk up the crookedest street. No fog so I can finally get a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge and then a drive to Yosemite (well technically the hotel we are to stay in is just outside the park.) It was a very busy day.

and the "elusive" bridge...

Sunday in San Francisco

We found a church relatively close to the hotel and enjoyed meeting new people. The schedule for the afternoon was to check out some of the Victorian houses (namely the Painted Ladies, but a lady at church told us about another street that had some cute houses), climb the Filbert Steps to Coit Tower and check out the Golden Gate Bridge.

First of all - I knew that there were in hills in San Francisco but I didn't realize they had HILLS. Some of the roads are crazy... definitely not possible to have in Winnipeg - nobody would be able to safely get up (or down) some of the roads if they were the least bit icy.

See... (and this isn't even that great of an example)

So the Painted Ladies...

I love this picture below... how San Franciscans park...

Filbert Steps & Coit Tower

And Golden Gate Bridge...


was a no show....


literally ... it was COMPLETELY covered in fog.

Pacific Coast Highway

A friend of mine from high school came to California to visit her aunt & uncle and ME! My very first visitor! And what better to do with a friend than a road trip.

The plan: Up the coast to San Francisco, hit some National Parks and then some whale watching. Sounds awesome, right? It was and over 1000 photos later I'm finally getting around to write about (and no... I will not be posting all 1000 photos :) )

So today's post is all about the trip from LA to San Francisco. I heard that the drive north along the coast was beautiful It proved to be a beautiful if somewhat long, and curvy in bits drive.

I'm calling this one "Beach Bums".

Beautiful despite the fog!

Memorial Day at the Beach

Memorial Day is the kick-off to summer here in California. So what better way then to head to the beach. A Co-worker friend and I headed to Hermosa Beach to spend the day checking out the various vendors at the Hermosa Festival, music and the sun.





We had lunch on the beach, while checking out some beach volleyball,



and then a nice stroll along the water.







Beautiful day....

the down side...

I ended up a little crispy (no picture...) I have to remember SUNBLOCK.