The Stitch Up

Spring Trippin'

We've had the chance to do a little vacationing this Spring on both coasts: in LA and NY.  First up was a trip to LA when it was still a little chilly on the east coast and it was SO nice.  It was still only in the 60s - which had all the locals bundled up - but for us it was beautiful.  We did some hiking, some shopping, a lot of eating, and most importantly - caught the Dolly Parton costume exhibit at the Grammy Museum.

NY was more of a glam weekend - we actually went for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.   It was a Generation X extravaganza - The Cure, Roxy Music, and Def Leppard were all inducted.  It as an awesome concert and around that we enjoyed the usual in NY - great food, great cocktails and a little shopping.

No matter how many times we visit either of these cities, we always find something new and interesting.  We love to see new cities or new countries, but it's wonderful that places that you feel comfortable can still surprise you.

The West Is Best

I try to get out to see my family in Arizona a couple times a year and to see my "home girls" in California at least once a year.  I love getting back to the desert.  I've grown to love Virginia and all of the green we're surrounded by here, but there is something about the desert and the mountains that still just makes me so happy.

I can always tell I'm getting close to my parents house when these warning signs start popping up:

I've actually never seen one of these wild donkeys but I keep hoping.  

My Mom and I always do some walking in the early mornings.  She's out somewhat in the middle of nowhere and I love the openness of the area and the quiet.

It's always quality time when I visit my parents.  We did a lot of relaxing at home and Mom and I snuck in some time at the spa and some shopping (of course).  I spotted this at one of the spots around town and thought it was amazing:

The artist uses reclaimed wood from the river.  This represents a native american spirit of the water - it was lovely!

After time with my parents I headed to Cali for some time with my girlfriends.  These are ladies I've known since we were kids and being with them is comfortable like family.  No matter how many months or sometimes years have passed since we were together in person, it feels like it was just yesterday.

My friend Teresa, who I stayed with, has an AMAZING collection of vintage hand embroidered textiles and I went a little crazy taking pics of them.

Crazy, beautiful stuff right?  

She also has a couple of framed hand embroidered pictures of flowers made by yours truly that I gave her many years ago.  I have to say, it's makes me so happy to see that someone still uses something I made years later.

They've held up pretty well!

In addition to chatting, eating, chatting and eating some more, we took a little day trip up to Idylwild.  It's so pretty and it provides a little break from the heat.

There are a lot of cute shops.  An artisan jerky shop had this sign out front that made me laugh:

In the vein of cool wood carvings, I also came across this GIANT carving of the Buddha:

It was a pretty relaxing day all around.

Sadly after a few days of relaxing and catching up with these wonderful ladies, I was back on the road headed home.  The only up side was that I had a night in Vegas to chill out, eat some more great food and enjoy the pool.

Vacations are tough, what can I say?

I'm back on the east coast now, wich I do love, but I'm also counting down the days until my next trip out west.

Last Trip of the Summer

At the end of the summer the hubby and I took a trip out to Cali to visit friends and enjoy the last of the lazy summer weather.  We stayed in Palm Springs at The Parker which is a very cool hotel.  It's pretty hot in Palm Springs at the height of summer but it's relaxing and there are plenty of pools and shady spots to beat the heat.  

The Parker is decorated in a very 70s chic style.  Every room is hip and I felt like I added cool points just by staying there.

This made me think that I could probably work a suit of armor somewhere into our house.  Maybe in the kitchen.

Our room was as cool as the rest of the hotel and the bed had an adorable needlepoint pillow.  Crafty and chic:

The hotel had a great restaurant with possibly the most delicious huevos rancheros I've ever eaten:

yummy crepes as well

The garden and pool area had all kinds of little spots hidden behind hedges and buildings that provided privacy and quiet.

If giant chess is too taxing of an option - there's always croquet!

Despite how awesome the hotel was we did get out and about to visit friends.  We did a little sight seeing on the way:

The Palm Springs Visitor's Center on the way out of town.  One of the beautiful midcentury buildings in Palm Springs.  

I love the desert landscape of the area and seeing all of the windmills always feels like home.

As I grew up not too far from Palm Springs, I took the hubby on a tour of some local hot spots.  First up, the dinosaurs at Cabazon.

The inside of the brontosaurus is a little gift shop.  In case you want some dinosaur memorabilia.

Next to the dinosaurs is the old school diner that's been there for decades.

Not too far down the road is Hadley's Fruit Orchard which was always a must stop when we were kids.  They sell nuts and dried fruit but they are famous (relatively) for their date shakes which are delicious!

The big event on this trip though was getting to spend some time with my girlfriends.  Teresa and her family hosted a beautiful lunch in her backyard and we had a fantastic time.

Teresa is a master gardener and her back yard is a gorgeous spot to spend a summer evening.

It was so nice to spend time with the ladies again.  We managed to fit in a pedicure date, some shopping and lots of talking.  We do our best with facebook and email, but having the chance to spend time together, face to face is really precious.