A Merry and Bright Christmas

 

We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner followed by the Christmas story and lots of gift-exchanging.  We ended the evening by enjoying one of my gifts to Bill--Victor Borge's 100th anniversary 6 DVD set.  Only Bill and I made it to the end of the first disc.  Admittedly, Danish comedians who were born in 1907 may not be everyone's cup of tea, but we think he's  pretty darn funny.

Our Christmas Day excursion to the coast proved to be everything we hoped.  We enjoyed the clear, sunny weather so much that at one point we pulled over at a vista point above the ocean and took a "sun nap."  Unless you have experienced weeks of damp, dreary Bakersfield fog (our local brand of winter weather), you cannot imagine how good it felt to feel the sun on our faces.

We had lunch on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara which was bustling with tourists.  Downstairs   they were serving a $60 a head buffet (no thank you), so we ate on the upper deck with beautiful views and a less uptight ambience and menu.

 

From Santa Barbara, we drove down the coast, stopping to admire the views along the way.

 

We were never able to get the movie times right for each town we passed through and by the time we got to our hotel in Camarillo, the next show was at 10:00 pm, so we played cards until late, then enjoyed the very comfy Marriott bedding.

 

 

Today we drove home through Grimes Canyon, Somis, Fillmore, and over to Santa Clarita.  Driving through miles and miles of orange groves, up against the green coastal mountains, bordered by fragrant eucalyptus trees, I remembered why I love California.  We lived in Santa Barbara for a year and then in Ventura County for sixteen years.  I love going back.