THE LAST HURRAH AS THE SUN SETS OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN

We spent the next few days in the most glorious place, one of Marriott's Vacation Villas in Newport Beach. It was the last leg of our journey so this would be our final home away from home. We had not been there before and what a treat it was!

Since there are several days included in this post, there will be a lot of photographs, so please bear with me.

The drive from Los Angeles along the coast to Newport was not a very time consuming trip and we arrived in the late afternoon. As we came over the hill, this glorious sight was awaiting us. What a spectacular place this was! We were supposed to come here two years ago but Frank had the flu so we had to cancel. It was well worth the wait. It was the perfect place to end an already perfect two weeks.

All the grounds were landscaped to perfection.

After arriving, we checked into our condo and took a look around our place. It was wonderful and so spacious. Frank and I each had our own bedroom and bath.

Of course I took the one with the King size bed with the Jacuzzi tub in the room (I couldn't get in and out of it so I had to use the shower) My room also had the ocean view. At home we have twin beds on a King-sized headboard, so even though we are together, we're not. It makes for a much better night's sleep.

I can remember when we purchased our first twin beds. Frank's Dad thought we were most certainly on the road to divorce (he and Mama had always slept in a double bed). The fact of the matter was that 3 months after we bought the twin beds I became pregnant with Franklin. Guess that blew Grandpa's theory!
We had a beautifully equipped kitchen but we opted to eat out and not prepare any meals. It was a real treat to just relax and enjoy the cooler California mornings, sit out on one of our balconies and enjoy the view.

That evening we weren't really hungry but decided to venture out and find a place for a light meal. This is not a good move if you are new to the area. We had no idea where we were going or how to get there. Newport is a little like Hilton Head as they don't have well marked streets. Guess you're supposed to know where you're going in advance which we did NOT! We went into the main office and asked for suggestions. While Frank was doing that, I looked around some of the public rooms and at the pools. This place is really lovely.

The young woman at the desk at the resort was not very knowledgeable about local restaurants, so we ended up having dinner at a place that we found called The Five Crowns, which we assumed was a pub. The first thing they asked us when we got there was if we had made reservations. Of course, not knowing where we were going, we had not.

It was a charming place. Since we had not "booked" we were seated at a table that would have been more suitable for two small children. We told them that this would not work for us due to our ages and sizes, so they graciously moved us to a different table. When we looked at the menu, we realized that this was no ordinary pub. The prices were sky high and after looking around we discovered that we were very under dressed. I mentioned to our waitress that this was a very unusual menu for a pub and she said that we were in the fine dining portion of the establishment and we most probably would find what we had been looking for in an adjoining part of the building. It was called The Side Door. She walked us over there and when we got there it was perfect. A typical English pub with pints and chips!

We both decided on the fish and chips and a pint of ale. It was delicious and made us feel as though we were back in Jolly Old England again. After starting out on the wrong foot, we ended up having a great evening. It's nice to be surprised. Sometimes things turn out better than the ones that you have carefully planned.

The next morning we decided to have cereal at the condo. It was easier than going out and that way we could take our time getting ready for the day. The beauty of a trip like this one is that there is no agenda and you can take as little or as much time doing things as you want.

After breakfast we took a stroll around the grounds to get a better look at the place.

We especially liked all the statuary and the fountains. They were lavish but not gaudy.

They had this cute little green golf cart that would transport you from one part of the complex to another since the resort covers so much acreage.

We had made plans to meet some long time friends, Henry and Margaret Hulan, who live in Upland, CA which is about an hour away for lunch.

Having roamed the territory last night and were familiar with locations of some of the restaurants, we decided to go to Gulfstream which was in a nearby shopping center. We needed to get as much fresh seafood eaten as we possibly could before heading inland soon.

The place was extremely busy but it was an excellent choice. Reminded me a lot of Houston's in Dallas where we frequent for good food.

I had the shrimp, Frank had snapper and the Hulans had a fresh tuna burger which included a mountain of french fries. My baked potato with all the trimmings was on a separate plate. I wouldn't want you to think that I was eating light!

We had a wonderful visit with them, catching up on mutual friends whom we had not seen in years. There's nothing more special than long time friendships and we have been blessed with many of them over the years. We went to Guadalajara together many years ago and still remember the fun that we had together on that trip. Henry was with an Orthodontic supply company so we were able to find out all the news about Orthodontists that we had know when Frank was still in practice. It's still hard for me to realize that he's been retired 25 years. Time flies when you're having fun!
A couple of hours later we said our goodbye's, took a few more photographs and they headed home.

I'm not sure, but I think Henry might have had some left over french fries in his kitty bag (it couldn't have been a doggy bag since it came from a fish place ;-)
After lunch we decided to take the drive along the coast and get a closer look at the ocean.I honestly think I could spend the rest of my days at the seaside watching the waves and sipping good wine.

The homes along the way were magnificent. Every inch of space is built upon and most of the homes here have an ocean view. I have since found out that Newport Beach has more expensive homes and it is more costly to live there than any other city in the U.S. It's a good thing that we didn't decide to go house hunting.

There were lots of different styles of architecture but all were most attractive.

We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home and got some sandwiches for dinner. It seemed easier than going out and we wanted to play cards and watch a little TV like all old folks do for entertainment.
The next morning after we got partially packed, we walked around for a bit while we waited for the time to come to go to lunch. You're right ... all we do is eat or we plan where we will eat next! We found this quaint little place called the Quiet Woman and decided to give it a try. You can probably figure out why it was called this by the logo on the menu!

It was a charming and cozy little place and the staff were friendly, the food was most appetizing and the ambiance was perfect.

We enjoyed a bottle of California wine from the Napa Valley and then I chose a Reuben Sandwich for my meal. Jason's Deli style it was not. Jason's is good but in the words of Tony the Tiger, this was great.

Frank had fish tacos and we shared some French Fries. After tomorrow, no more wine at lunch and no more fried food, so we thought we'd better take advantage of this opportunity.

We decided that the lady sitting across from us had had way too many fries and that they just might have to get a shoe horn and some Vaseline to get her out of her chair. I honestly don't know now she got in it! Looking at her made me feel almost thin! She also had a "to go" bag. I certainly hope it was for her dog !!!

After lunch we walked around the grounds of the resort for a while before going back to the condo to finish packing. It was then that I discovered a Koi pond with not only fish, but also water lilies.

Once our bags were packed, we decided to sit out on the balcony and have a drink and watch the sunset.

The air was cool and calm and suddenly the sky over the Pacific Ocean turned the most glorious shades of red, purple and orange that you can imagine. It was the perfect way to end a perfect trip.

We left early the next morning for the airport. As I looked back and bid farewell to our latest home away from home, I was sad to leave but anxious to get back to Texas, friends and family.
We have had such a great time but all good things must come to an end sooner or later. We got on board our big silver bird, buckled our seatbelts and couldn't wait to get back to DFW where our son would meet us and take us back home again.

Thank you for traveling with us. We hope to you again soon.
XOXO, Pcasso