A Regular Day

Not a vacation, but a very nice day. I started with a run and then coffee with my injured running partner. I do like running alone and it wasn't until we started running together that it turns out I do like having a running partner, too.

D. rode the Tour de Foothills.

I was there to cheer him on when he came through town but it turns out I couldn't ring the bell and take his picture simultaneously so here a couple strangers just to give you the idea.

Next up was the grand opening of Pomona College's Benton Museum of Art.

There was live music and some art activities

but maybe the first Pomona event without cookies!

It was still yummy.

From there we headed across the street to the Sontag Greek Theatre to hear the Pomona College Jazz Ensemble.

What a great setting!

from sagehens.com
We wrapped up the day watching the
men's water polo team win on senior night.

A full day!

And Yet Another Day of Vacation!

We cycled from home to Monrovia for breakfast. 

We tried to wait for the fog to lift before heading out.

There was still a haze, but visibility
improved as we went along.

We thought about eating at Peach Cafe and decided we did not want to wait 60-75 minutes for a table. At Cafe on Lemon we showed up at just the right time because there was no wait (although a line formed as we ate). 

As a bonus there was a fire station with
a little library right across the street. 

After riding home and cleaning up we headed to the art fiesta at Padua Hills Theater.

This piece caught our eye

and I liked the fountains,

which were not for sale.

It was a beautiful afternoon and we enjoyed
the sounds, sights, and chats with friends.

It was great to take some time off!

Another Day of Vacation

After going our own way in the morning we headed to the village of our own town. 

Sometimes it is nice to wander around and to window shop in a familiar place. We checked out the new stores, 

including one with a park and outdoor theme. 

There was nothing we wanted to buy, but I liked all the stickers.

We supported a fruit bowl place

and local bakery and enjoyed our food outside.

We walked more and ate more.

For dinner we enjoyed A Mexican Vegan Delight and watched more of a baking show. We are about five seasons behind, but that is fine because no spoilers show up anywhere.

Another nice day off!

Vacation, Part Four

 

We walked over to the Norton Simon Museum

and enjoyed some classics.

And The Chestnut Gatherers.

It was nice to be there before the clocks changed so
we could enjoy the afternoon light in the sculpture garden.

We wandered along Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena
and decided to have dessert before dinner. I enjoyed a
vegan pumpkin and gingersnap scoop and D. had
salted, malted, chocolate chip cookie dough. Mmmm.

We peeked in one store but did not buy anything.

For dinner we tried a friend's recommendation and
ordered food we would not have had at
home (e.g., edamame dumplings and farro risotto).

As we walked back to Millionaire's Row and our car we agreed it was nice to have a full day's vacation without a full day's drive and I was looking forward to sleeping in our own bed.

Vacation, Part Three

 Because the weather was great we decided to walk around Millionaire's Row in Pasadena,

which includes the Wrigley Mansion, which
is now The Tournament of Roses headquarters.

Nice that they have room in back for their fleet.

I know we will go back one day because while I was doing some research for this post I learned that there

is a Pasadena Tournament of Roses Little Free Library and we missed it by half a block! 😧

from google maps

We enjoyed looking at houses

and walking on the Colorado Street Bridge.

From there we could snap a picture of the front of the
United States Court of Appeals, the satellite location of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit based in San Francisco.

We poked around Defenders Park before moving the car
and heading to our the last part of our vacation.

Vacation, Part Two

Before leaving the gardens we looked for a good place to have lunch and D. suggested a restaurant in Montrose. I immediately said yes because I knew Montrose is home to a children's bookstore I have always wanted to visit.

photo credit: pagetraveller.com
I was happy to give them some business!

What I didn't know was there was a fantastic toy store down the street.

I was tempted by the mini version of a van that A. had built out of Legos.

I was also tempted by these building blocks because
I have some and have never seen them for sale anywhere.

The best part of the Montrose visit was running into Z. and J.'s grandmother. It was great to see her and as a bonus she shared about another bookstore a few doors down. We had walked by it and thought it was a plants shop, 

maybe because they have walls of pockets filled with potted plants!

 

Among the new and used books are more plants.
Of course we had to support this bookstore, too!

We were not here long so I hope we get to go back one day!

Vacation, Part One

Neither D. nor I had ever been to Descanso Gardens. It was perfect weather and an easy drive so off we went.

The map made it look huge, but we were able to visit all the gardens.

I was not surprised to see lots of oak trees and open views

or to see roses and mountains.

I was amazed to see a few lilacs in bloom!!

There was a little wildlife!

And not so wild.

They were cleaning up from Halloween (and giving away leftover pumpkins - score!) and preparing for Christmas. It was a wonderful start to our vacation day, but I can also imagine it would be nice to visit when it is tulip, lilac, camellia, or rose season.