My hubby was a career Air Force long before I met him. His most talked about base was Vandenberg AFB, which is on the central coast of California near Lompoc (who else remembers Roger Ramjet!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZIjT3S7wvc.So when we started to talk about where we wanted to take a short winter vacation, we decided that we would go there and let him take a trip down memory lane! And the bonus was that I have an internet quilting friend who lives in Santa Ynez, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Bonnie was thrilled to have us come visit her. Our hubbies hit it off like they had been old friends forever! And honestly, have you ever met a quilter that you didn't like!
Our first stop was Creation Station in Buellton, CA! What a fun and energetic shop! Lots of great store samples to get your creative juices flowing!
And look at this bathroom! Not just an afterthought here! There is even a little motion sensor croaking frog in the corner! Love it!
After a delightful lunch, we went to Roxanne's in Carpinteria, CA! Bonnie maintains Roxanne's website, so is very good friends with the owner. Who, by the way, drives a spiffy blue 2002 Thunderbird! We are soul mates!
Roxanne greeted us each with a hug and a little gift! What a welcome! There were a couple of jelly roll strips, a small KitKat bar (one of my faves!), and a cute needle keeper!
Right inside the front door is a great fireplace! And next to the fireplace are framed newspaper articles about Charlie Chaplin.
And this plate was on the fireplace! Oona was his fifth and final wife. It just takes some people a couple tries to get it right! It is so great to feel connected to the history of a place!
This is Roxanne's cutting table! I could just sit and look at this all day! Everything in the store was fresh and bright, just like the owner!
Work with Passion, Exceed Expectations, Encourage Creativity, Build Relationships, Have fun! Live Inspired! Great words to live by!
After eating Chinese for supper, we cruised on to Bonnie's quilt guild meeting in Santa Barbara! Bonnie is also the webmistress for her guild! There was a great speaker on judging quilts. She gave a little bit of history on her quilt journey, and then "judged" a few quilts for guild members! Very insightful!We had an awesome day with Bonnie and Jerry! Thanks again for taking the time to show us a bit of your world in California!
so glad it all worked out...what memories, esp as you are back at work!! x
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful when you plans come together! Store looks like such a fun place to visit and you Can Feel The Love!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maggie. That was a nice blog about our area. We loved having you here and hope to meet again soon. Hope you blog about your other adventures on this trip! We;re even going to make a trip to The Far Western before it closes up and moves to Orcutt. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThat is so much fun! Those stores look awesome and so different from most quilt stores! Had you met Bonnie IRL before, or was this your first time? Glad you had such a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteCalifornia is my "home sweet home". I was born and raised here, mostly in Southern CA. After a 14 year stint in Rockville, MD, we moved back to Northern CA....to be near the DGDs. So glad you enjoyed the central coast. It's one of my favorite areas. Next time, you need to go a little more north and see Cambria, San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles. There is much to see here.
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