My Adventures

The Pasadena Empty Nest Fixer Upper Update!

 

kitchen remodel
The refrigerator and freezer panels are waiting for the appliances to arrive. Next up: The hardwood floor to be finished and hardware for the cabinets. There is paper covering the new floors for now.

Another update for the empty nest fixer upper…

More progress, more decisions, more changes, rinse, repeat. It does seem that the little house in Pasadena has made some significant progress, but with that progress came a couple of setbacks.

Every time we are cruising along at a healthy pace, something happens that slows it all down just a bit. The tile that I had originally picked for the front of the fireplace arrived and I was taken aback at what I had chosen. There was nothing about it that I liked. The architect urged me to choose something more traditional, more “old Pasadena” and we made the choice together. I now see that the colors were wrong, it seemed old fashioned, but I made this decision in the middle of the last few (horrific) months of my dad’s life. I made a mistake.

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Upgraded to the Penthouse Suite at the “Riot Hyatt “

The Andaz West Hollywood, CA ~ Also known as Weho
The Andaz West Hollywood~ “The Riot Hyatt”

 

Since we began the renovation of our house in Pasadena, Craig and I have spent a great deal of time flying back and forth from Seattle to Burbank to stay involved with the project. We are loyal to the Hyatt Hotel brand and almost always stay in one of the their properties. We believe in brand loyalty and because of this philosophy, we have been awarded a Hyatt Courtesy Card (a unique and special status) and stay over 150 nights per year in their hotels.

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Saturday Morning Browsing – News From the Web

Saturday morning on the Web

 

news from the web

News from the Web ~

Sitting in the quiet of Saturday morning, with a big cup of tea, Craig and I spend an hour catching up on what’s new on the Web. We each share with the other anything that would pique our interest. We are bombarded by news constantly (mostly negative) and I think it is helpful if someone else curates a few stories for me.

Throughout the week I receive updates and posts from various news sources and from other bloggers. When you subscribe, the articles that are sent to you are literally custom made for your interests. Ah, the convenience of technology! Here are a few links we found interesting.

Vin Scully - news from the web

The amazing Vin Scully gets an avenue of his own – We just love the Dodgers and have enjoyed listening to Vinny’s gilded voice since we were kids. This is Vin Scully’s last season broadcasting for the Dodgers, he is 88 years young!

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Wondering what to do in Downtown LA? Visit the Grand Central Market!

 The Grand Central Market: what to do in downtown LA

Need some ideas for what to do in downtown LA?

Los Angeles is quite the “happening” city with lots of great new places to visit! Have you been lately? First of all, allow me suggest that you should call it DTLA and you will be popular with all the cool kids. Second, go hungry because there are so many great places to eat you will need to save room!

Craig and I had heard about the transformation of the Grand Central Market in to a food lover’s paradise and we finally took a couple of hours to go visit. Travel tip: If you can, go during the week and just before lunch to beat the crowds and the lines. There are many terrific restaurants where hungry eaters line up for quite a while!

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A Breathtaking Visit to the Tulip Fields in Washington

spectacular display of flowers

tulip fields in Washington

A visit to the tulip fields in Washington should be on everyone’s adventure list!

Our daughter Alex has lived in the state of Washington for nine years and because of this, I have known about the spectacular tulip fields for years. You should be aware that a visit to the tulip fields is a wonderful way to spend the day, but it is an adventure in timing. First you need to plan a trip to Seattle, then you need to plan to go in April, then you hope it doesn’t rain and make everything super muddy, then you need to hope that they will be blooming when you arrive!

tulip fields in Washington

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Empty Nest: New Update for the Fixer Upper Renovation

fixer upper renovation

The outside stucco color is a vanilla malt, the doors are a fabulous color of persimmon, and the trim is a chocolate-brown.

More news on the fixer upper renovation!

Oh boy, there is a lot to talk about. I started reviewing older posts from as far back as September. My video makes it fun to see the old house and I was so optimistic that we would be completed in seven months but the reality is more like nine months. What is a couple of months when we have a lifetime of enjoyment ahead of us!

My original video:

If you receive this post via email, click HERE to see the video.

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Savor Laguna: A fantastic foodie walking tour in Laguna Beach!

view of lagun from Wyland
The view from the deck of the Wyland Gallery, downtown Laguna Beach, CA.

 

A walking tour in Laguna Beach… yes please! Not only did I have the privilege of leisurely walking and eating my way through the charming streets of Laguna, but I learned a great deal of the history of the area as well.

Although I lived in South Orange County for 27 years, I must admit that my knowledge of the history of Laguna Beach was rather limited. However, Jeanne Lange of Savor Laguna dazzled me and the enthusiastic group of my fellow travel bloggers with wonderful stories of the founding fathers (and mothers). You will have to take the tour in order to learn of the original settlers, movie stars, artists and entrepreneurs who established this amazing beach town.

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