We are staying in a home exchange in Temecula....a gorgeous three bedroom, two baths with expansive rooms, a very nice patio with gas fireplace and built in grill, gas burner stove and outdoor refrigerator. We live mostly in the hugh family room - kitchen and breakfast nook. We used the gas fireplace during a couple of cool evenings. The large formal living room and dining room are beautifully decorated. The house has four flat screen TVs with unlimited television channels. We feel lucky to have the owners Honda car to drive and two bicycles to ride around the rolling hills in Temecula.
On the bank of our home there are these pretty little multicolored flowers that pop out when it is high noon....unfortuantely this picture was taken late in the day.
Where we hung out most of the time...
.....except when we were sleeping.
The first day we met Larry's dad, Pete, in Ontario. He had driven down from Victorville after visiting with Carla, his daughter. We felt fortunate to have him visit with us for a few days. The first day of his visit we drove to San Diego, Coronado Island and other parts of Southern California during his stay. After living in the area for over 40 years, Pete was able to show us around a lot of the points of interest... just like having a personal guide. 
Pete, Larry,and I enjoyed a special Valentine's Day together. We all went out to lunch at a homemade bread and baked goods shop. The aroma was wonderful and the homemade breads were to die for. In the evening we ate out at a Chinese Restaurant that Larry had found on line. It was very popular so we were glad that we got there early. After dinner we went to see the movie, "War Horse". We all enjoyed every minute of it. What a fantastic Valentine's Day!
Saturday turned out to be another California sunny day. Pete, Larry and I drove up to Arcadia to the Santa Anita Horse Races. We met Reilee and Eric, Pete's granddaughter and son-in-law. Law Enforcement Day was occurring at the track so there were lots of activities in the in field which kept Reilee (a five year old Kintergarten-student) happy.She participated in the air slides and bouncing inflatable gyms as well as swinging on the swings and climbing all over the jungle gym. It was fun to spend time with Reilee, Eric and Pete. Larry and Reilee were lucky to win two of the three races that they bet on together. She took home the winnings!
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| Reilee's Cowgirl Boots |
Cotton Candy Anyone?
Sunday, Larry and Pete enjoyed playing bluegrass music with several of Pete's old San Diego friends. Larry even got a few free lessons while picking on the bass...a change from playing on his guitar.On Monday, we took a lovely drive over Gavilan Mountain to Oceanside Beach and Carlsbad. Gorgeous views of the Temecula Valley were viewed from the top of the first mountain as the curvy, narrow road wondered through green valleys of orange and avacodo groves.We drove through several small villages such as DeLuz. Both beaches, Oceanside and Carlsbad had lovely views of the ocean with surfers riding waves and many beach goers sunning out on the sands.
Pete left us on Tuesday, flying out of Ontario Airport back to Virginia.
Spring was in the air with cherry blossoms in full bloom and snapdragons looking at their best. Larry and I took our daily morning walk through the Old Town of Temecula established in 1859. Originally, Temecula was an old stagecoach town. The sidewalks were actually wooden planks and the town had many antique shops, wine and olive oil tasting rooms, gift shops and places to dine . Many of the buildings were very authentic with the western style architecture. A great effort has been taken by the area governing body to keep Old Town Temecula decorated in old western style....old wagons, wooden signs, wooden posts and authenic stage coach rides. Many historic sites were documented with plaques...Hotel Temecula, Temecula Jail, Palomar Hotel, and the Originial Hall's Cafe. A spectacular water fountain (in January an ice skating rink) centered the town square in front of a new government building. We enjoyed the beautiful weather while strolling the streets for a couple of hours.
Another day we took our morning walk through the old town of Murrietta...just north of Temecula. A nice small town, also a past stage coach stop with small shops mostly for the locals to use...salons, bakery, real estate offices, hardware store.... a mixture of the old and some new but not as much a tourist attraction as Old Town Temecula. Larry got a hair cut while I looked in an old antique shop and took a few pictures of the flowering schrubs and trees.
What a gorgeous sunset is in our face!
Just a few of their award winning ribbons!
The Saturday before the Academy of Awards, we drove up to Hollywood and spent the day walking the streets. We saw many television cameras being set up along the red carpet for the next day's event. We enjoyed reading many of the stars names on the sidewalks along Hollywood Boulevard as we walked and took pictures of the hand and footprints of many stars dating back to the 30's to current ones in 2011 in front of Graumans Chinese Theater.
We meandered to the third level of the theater and looked over the rail where celebrities would walk the next day to attend the Academy of Awards Ceremony. We wondered just past the Kodak theatre into a modern outdoor mall with loads of great shops, many statues and a squirting waterfall. As Larry and I walked back to our car, we thought that the Hollywood area that we had just visited really needed a bit of a facelift. The streets were not as clean as they should be and many of the old building were in need of some attention. It was a shame that such a popular touristy area was in such shape.
Grand Shopping Mall behind the Grauman's Chinese Theater
After a nice ride through Beverly Hills and viewing many mansions and Mazerrati's, we stopped into the Beverly Hills Hotel. While walking in we ran smack into John Voight, Anjolie's father. How cool was that? We have always enjoyed visiting here. It is a walk down memory lane. Larry brought me here on my very first trip to California when I was a Junior in college. We have been back a couple of other times and always seem to be drawn back here from time to time. It brings back some good memories.
Our stay in Temecula has been a delight. Lots of interesting places to walk, biking was exhilerating because of the hills, snow capped mountains in the background, emaculate and manicured homes and neighborhoods, spectacularly landscaped wineries, everything was neat and clean. The weather was pleasant enough to enjoy lunch outside everyday and our home was very comfortable and a pleasure to stay in. Temecula will certainly be one of the highlights of our California adventure.
Our stay in Temecula has been a delight. Lots of interesting places to walk, biking was exhilerating because of the hills, snow capped mountains in the background, emaculate and manicured homes and neighborhoods, spectacularly landscaped wineries, everything was neat and clean. The weather was pleasant enough to enjoy lunch outside everyday and our home was very comfortable and a pleasure to stay in. Temecula will certainly be one of the highlights of our California adventure.
