For the Moment, We Still Have the Beach - And It's Still Called Paradise Cove, Malibu

Despite the giant orange cloud looming over our Thanksgiving to come.....

And 2017.  We in California for now, at least, still have the beach.

The gulls and the pelicans, the long vistas....

the sun and mist and the hard bodies are all still here.

Foreign residents of Los Angeles, past and present, can still reunite with their families. 

And even in autumnal light

carefree relaxation may be indulged in by the masses.

(At least those masses who have cars, because Paradise Cove is a bit out of the way, shall we say, on Pacific Highway CA1)

 The restaurant is a cacophony of sounds, vintage photos, and piles of fishy American comfort food.

All the necessaries are provided for.

(Parking is free only if you spend about $25 at the restaurant, which will be very easy to do.  You can also park on the highway, above, and walk down.)

As you can imagine, in Mid-Summer, Paradise Cove is chock-a-block.

If you are a fan of 1970's TV shows, Paradise Cove will fulfill your celebrity trivia requirements.

It's riding a wave of feel-good California vibrations.  

(That didn't take long did it?  We just about managed to forget about Mr. Trump!  I guess we needed that!  I mean, I DID!)

How was your weekend?

 What are you cooking for 

Thanksgiving?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Le Boeuf sur le Toit and The Road to Bodega

You'll know you're on the right road out of Petaluma if you spot this

cow on the roof.  Across from the "Petaluma Creamery" - a must-stop for ice cream as per our host!

The road will wind through golden hills and dairy farms until.....

you reach the shore road and this intersection.

  

You'll have OPTIONS!  South, North and

sur place!  (More high elevation cows a continuing theme.)

There is a lovely outside seating/eating area

(as well as in) if you want to have lunch and a nice glass of wine at the Marin Sun Farms Restaurant and Butcher Shop.  (Sean Thackrey is kind of a local, and wine celeb).

We took the road north to Bodega Bay.

Ahhhhh yess.......the California coast.

Blood pressure dropping?

A gorgeous stop for a long walk.  To fill your lungs with perfect clean air.....

swimming - probably in the wet suit that you've brought along.

The road will then take you back inland to Bodega, (in my previous post)

A good place to stop for a drink.

At a classic old-school American beer hall.

That holds a few surprises too.  See my next post!

There is nothing not to like in this very gorgeous part of Northern California.  (IMHO).  More soon.  

Have a great weekend!

(for more Sonoma County posts see my label above right, "Other California")

Megeve, Haute Savoie, France - More Pics from Last September

A little Italianate (once upon a time, even more so) alpine hamlet

transformed into a rather glam ski resort after a certain Rothschild lady,

horrified by having to share her

Swiss winter holidays

with Nazi generals in, I think it was, St. Moritz.

Megeve seems now well on it's way to being Vail-i-fied, sadly.  In that overstuffed impossibly tasteful greige way that is very much the "bon gout" of moment.  (Which I don't hate, but you can have too much of a good thing?)

These pictures probably don't do it justice.  Megeve is situated in a broad, spreading gentle valley well up in the mountains.

It retains

(not my picture - not sure where from)

some of it's

 old-world rustic

charms.  If you are in the neighborhood......

the detour is kind of unavoidable.

There is good food in Megeve - that's why we went, on the way back from Mont Blanc.  Anyone going skiing anytime soon?  Isn't it time for the school holidays soon?  Have you been to Megeve?

Mojave, Not Vegas

From vast emptiness

to something not quite -

Dirt Bikers? (above)

Dirt Sailors?  It's a place of the unexpected.

Like, for example, this restaurant of plenty and of personality:

the Mad Greek, Baker, CA

Which you kind of need.  On your 4-hour journey from L.A. to Vegas.

Or more so even

on your 8-hour return journey back!  On Thanksgiving Weekend.

  In the rain.  The Paradis family will skip the Thanksgiving part next time.

Island Country

I thought we all might need a change of pace.  So many are having such terrible weather lately.

Yeah, I've been holding out on you.  These pics have been tucked into a corner of my computer for awhile.

This is the island of Oahu.  Which is just clinging on to a little bit of country.

Despite many efforts to build ugly hotels on every square inch of it.

Here's a sweet little petting farm by the side of the road.

They take donations to pay for the feed.

Further on from here the road will take you to -

Along the way you'll pass lovely, idyllic He'eia at a bend in the road.

There used to be a highly recommended little eating place here, but that chef has moved on.

My recommendation?

Bring your own lunch and stick to the road.  How's your breathing?  Easier already?

How was the weekend?