Did a fun thing with my daughter and her fiance recently. We have a really historic mansion with some gorgeous gardens about 20 minutes down the road from us and I have never been there before so when I saw an ad for an event they were having I thought it would be the perfect time to go check it out. You may have heard of the place. It's called Filoli Gardens and in 2023 President Biden took a walk around the gardens with Chinese President Xi.

A while ago I read that there was a troll exhibit in the garden and it looked intriguing. Then I read that they were having a Halloween event called Nightfall. Then I knew I had to go.

We got there just before the sun set and were greeted by the first troll, Ranja Redeye. There were TONS of carved pumpkins all in the field. Then we walked through a gate to get to the trail. There we met Sofus Lotus, the Listening Troll. That is my husband standing next to her. I think he's whispering in her ear, "How did I get trapped into this?" LOL. Truthfully, it was a little hard on him because there was a lot of walking on uneven ground which is not good for his back or legs. He made it through though. There was a group of scarecrows standing in a field. Reminded me of the movie "Children of the Corn." There were colored lights on the trees and as the night got darker it really started to come alive. There was a huge pumpkin decorated ring that you walk through to get to the main area. Once it got dark it almost looked like a ring of fire.

We came across a group of banana slugs. It looked so cool. There were a lot of other scenes too, including a forest of mushrooms all lit up. Those reminded me of the display in Golden Gate Park that I saw when I did the Illuminate SF A to Z. There was a spot to get a beverage and sit down for a spell by some fire pits if you wanted. It was there that we came across my Spirit Troll, Kamma Can, the Treasure Troll. She can see the potential in any little scrap to turn it into something beautiful! We ended up back at the main entrance and it was spectacular. It was a great evening and lots of folks were there with their kids dressed up for Halloween.

After I got home I looked up the trolls and it seems that we missed one because we only saw 5 and there are 6! I guess I will not see it because the trolls are going away on November 11 and I don't think we can get down there again before that. I know my hubby won't go because it took him a day or two to recover from this visit. Poor guy.

I know that Filoli (which stands for Fight, Love, Live) has a Christmas display as well so I think my daughter and I will check that one out because we didn't go into the mansion on this visit at all and it was decorated too. I was feeling bad for my husband so we stopped once we had made it back to the main area. 

Have you heard of Filoli Gardens? Which troll would be your spirit guide? Happy Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by. 

Oh My Gosh, It's October!

Hello fellow Ultimate Blogging Challengers. I feel a bit remiss because here we are almost in the middle of the month and I haven't mentioned my Etsy shop or my crafting work at all! Very poor in the marketing division. I'll have to speak with someone about that! (I AM the marketing division, along with every other division - LOL).

For about 10 or 11 years I have had an Etsy shop where I sell my handmade greeting cards, mini scrapbook albums and other paper crafts. In the last five years I have begun attending craft fairs, mostly around the holidays but I'm beginning to branch out to other times of the year as well. A lot of my creations are interactive and I find that they are best shown in person, although Etsy does now have a spot for videos of your items.

At any rate, one of the things I did recently was be a vendor at an outdoor evening event. It was at a local church and as part of their festival they were having a holiday night market. I have done outside events but none at night so I thought I'd give it a shot.  We just recently got a canopy so that outside events would be possible and I must say that we put it up really quickly. 

I knew that it might get a little windy, especially as night came on, but the days had been really warm so I wasn't too worried. Still, I didn't display everything as I usually do because most of my products are made of paper and I didn't want to have to chase everything if the wind came up. Which it did. Forcefully. I had weights around the legs of the canopy but it almost blew away. Thankfully my vendor neighbor helped secure it by sharing some of their weights. One of my items did fall off and unfortunately it was a glass frame which broke. 

Since it was going to get dark, I bought some twinkle lights to spread around the table. I really liked them and decided I was going to get more for the upcoming holiday craft fairs I have scheduled next month. 

 

Sadly, I didn't make any sales. I think it will be a while before I attempt that venue again. It is was definitely not worth setting it all up and sitting in the cold and wind for 5 hours. It was a three day event but I only could do Friday night. Perhaps if I had done the Saturday one it might have been more profitable. 

These are examples of the products I make. 

Here is a little tour of my studio. This was from a few years ago but it is basically the same, just more crowded with stuff! 

I also have a YouTube channel where I share some of the processes for making my items. That's another aspect of the business that I want to enhance. 

And that's about it for now. Hope you enjoyed the tour of the studio. After watching it again I can see how much has actually changed in the 5 years since I made it and I'll have to do an update. If you are looking for unique handmade greeting cards or need an album for a special occasion I'd love to work with you. Send me a message on the Etsy site! Happy Saturday!

Oh My Gosh It's October!

I took a little break from posting for a few days while I went away and had some quality time with my BFF. I may write about that later.  I'm back now and hoping to finish out this month with more posts in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge. 

Shortly after we returned from the Seattle trip we went to a concert at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. This is one of our favorite venues because as a rule the tickets are reasonable and even though we like to sit up close, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. We are part of the "Loyalty Program" since we go to at least four shows a year there, although to be honest I'm not sure if that will continue because it is getting harder and harder to pick bands to see and the rewards of being a "loyalty" club member aren't that great unless you see upward of 11 different shows. That's a bit much for us. 

Anyway, tonight's show was .38 Special. We have seen them a few times and like their music a lot. They were doing a 50-Year Tour although not all the original band members still perform (what group after 50 years still has all the original members?). 

I am sad because as a scrapbooker I miss the paper tickets that I could use to embellish my pages. I try to remember to take a screenshot of my phone ticket but sometimes when I do they flash a bar across that says "Screenshots of tickets are not valid entry" or words to that effect. The opening act was a guy named David Lunig and he was actually pretty good. We have been to the Winery so many times that my hubby has made "friends" with one of the security staff. 

We did notice a little difference this time. The original singer, Donny Van Zant, is no longer able to tour with the band as he has ear issues and we could tell the difference. But they sang most of our favorite songs and we were still able to get up and dance. There was no one behind us so we weren't blocking anyone's view. 

The view of the seats from above after the show is always so pretty to me. 

I'll leave you with "Hold On Loosely" which is one of my personal faves. Not sure I'll make a daily post but definitely will be back with more! 

Oh My Gosh It's October!

And just like that our trip was almost over. It was time to board the train to come back to reality. 

One last look at the two stadiums. So for future reference, the stadiums are within walking distance of the train station so theoretically if you wanted to catch a Seahawks or Mariner's game you could just hop the train. You definitely need to plan ahead though since it takes 23 hours from the Bay Area!

The whole train experience is exciting in my opinion. Just being in the station and seeing all the different people is fascinating. I took pictures of the stops we were making so I could know where we were. You are kind of in your own little world once you get on board.

We were able to upgrade to a larger room for the way home. The bed was still not 100% comfortable but again, it was only for one night. At least we had our own bathroom and it even had a shower if we wanted to take one. We had a lot more leg room. 

We saw some different scenery on the way home since we were traveling this part in the daytime whereas we had come in during the nighttime. I could see the end of the train behind us when we went around the bend. The trees were starting their fall colors. Some of the stations were really unusual. 

Once again the food was delicious. The flowers on the table were fresh and the staff was so pleasant and helpful. There is a point going through the mountains where you lose service but I was able to catch some of the Giants game on my phone while my husband watched football on my laptop.   

All in all it was a really great trip. Something we hadn't been able to do in a LONG time. Now we are thinking of Catalina Island. I told my husband it is the "island of romance." I was surprised that he had never heard the song "26 Miles - Santa Catalina." 

If you are thinking about taking a train trip, do it. I have to 100% thank my friend Karen@MarvelousMouseTravels for helping us put this all together. She is great and so easy to work with. Highly recommend her for your vacation needs. 

I've been having fun blogging this experience. Make sure to check out the other folks who are doing the Ultimate Blogging Challenge. 

I am not sure if I will be able to connect here the next few days. I am going away for a scrapbooking getaway with my BFF. If I can, I will. If not, I'll catch up with you when I get back!  

Oh My Gosh It's October!

It's day 6 of the October Ultimate Blog Challenge and I'm still here! Hope you have been following along with our Seattle Adventure.

Today we are going to take the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour of the city. This is a big bus that goes to several (18 to be exact) places around the city. You can get off the bus at any of the stops and then when you are ready to leave that spot you just wait for the next bus to come and continue your journey. We only got off at 2 of the stops but it was still a really fun thing to do. They have these tours all over so it's something to consider the next time you visit a new city. 

Our starting point was the Space Needle so we walked up the street and got on the bus. We sat up on top so I could take pictures of everything we saw. The first street we went down reminded me of the steep hills in San Francisco! We were heading down to the waterfront. Since we had already taken the Argosy cruise, we didn't get off here, although I almost wanted to so I could go get that necklace from Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe! 

I was taking pictures of all the interesting things we saw along the way. Had to get the Howl at the Moon sign since I am always snapping pictures of the full moon. One of the stops was Chinatown but we didn't get off there. I do love the entrance pagoda though. The building in the bottom right corner reminded me of some of the buildings we have in San Francisco. Keep in mind the spire from the clock tower. And where else can you find a horse hanging on the ledge?

We did want to see the Sky View Observatory so we got off at that stop. You can get all the way up to the top floor through this elevator!

The Sky View Observatory is another building where you can walk all the way around and get a 360 degree view of the city. See the spire below? That is the top of the clock tower. 

Football and baseball fans will recognize the stadiums below. I don't care much about football but if the Seattle Mariners had been playing at home I would have tried to get us tickets. The picture in the lower left shows just how far up we really are. 

When we were done with the observatory we were fortunate to get down to the bus stop right as the next Hop On Hop Off bus was loading. I was able to get some more pictures of the scenery even though we didn't sit on the outside. Some really pretty murals on the walls and those legs reminded me of the ones sticking out of the window in San Francisco.  

The next stop that we wanted to get off was at Pike's Place Market. It was amazing to see all the different vendors inside and of course we got a picture of the original Starbucks. The flowers at the market reminded me of the glass pieces we saw at Chihuly and those really were some pretty big a$$ lobster tails! I had to keep my wits about me because I found SO many things that I wanted to buy there. I did end up getting a silver Washington State charm for my charm bracelet and a necklace with a moon and star. I was sad that we missed the bubble gum wall but hubby was getting tired with all the walking and I didn't want to keep searching for it. 

After walking around the market it did take us about 45 minutes before the next bus came along but we made it home in time for hubby to watch his Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. Sadly it didn't turn out well for them. 

Also sadly it was our last night in Seattle. We were set to be at the train station the next morning to catch our Coastal Starlight ride home. Have you ever taken a Hop On Hop Off bus tour? 

Oh My Gosh It's October

Howdy folks. Are you ready for more of the Seattle Adventure? To recap:  Amtrak train ride from SF Bay Area to Seattle, Washington. Tour of Space Needle and Chihuly Gardens was next. Lunch at 5 Point Cafe. 

After we ate lunch and relaxed a bit we went to the hotel lobby desk and asked for a cab to take us to the harbor so we could catch the Argosy Cruise Line for a trip around the Seattle waterfront. While waiting to board I saw there was a Curiosity Shop that I definitely wanted to go in when we got back!

We were fortunate that the weather was just perfect for a little jaunt on the water and we sat on the upper deck so we could see everything. We had a great tour guide who was able to tell us what we were seeing and she was a fountain of knowledge about the history of the city. There were several things that we had seen from the Space Needle that we saw in closer range, like the ferris wheel and the Needle itself looks impressive from the harbor.

We were able to see the stadiums for the Seattle Seahawks and next door, the Seattle Mariners. Seattle has some pretty interestingly shaped skyscrapers. Apparently there is some controversy about which building is actually the tallest. One of them is built on a hill so it appears taller but really isn't. There was a sailboat on the water with us as well.

Seattle is a shipping port and we went right by the cargo ships. It was fascinating to watch them load the massive crates. The cranes always make me think of something out of Star Wars. We were pretty close to them. That is not zoom photography.

We were out on the water for at least an hour. When we got back to land we did take a stroll through the Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe. There were definitely some curiosities in there. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures of them. I also found a necklace that I almost bought but didn't. Maybe we'll have to go back! 

When we were ready to head back to the hotel I used the Seattle Yellow Cab app that I had downloaded and was able to order a cab with no problems. I felt so tech savvy! We've never used Uber or Lyft so it was a new experience.  

And that was the end of our first full day in Seattle. We had one more day there with another excursion, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour through downtown. Come back tomorrow and see what delights we found.  

Oh My Gosh It's October!

 Hello! I know it's a little later post than usual today but had a family emergency this morning. All is well but it took longer than expected. Because of that today's post is a little shorter than they have been. I said I was going to write about the Harbor cruise around the Seattle waterfront but that will have to wait. 

We were hungry after our trip through the Space Needle and Chihuly so we looked for someplace to eat within walking distance of our hotel. We found a cute tavern a few blocks away so went there for a late lunch.

  

It was interesting to read about the history of the tavern. I can tell you that there definitely were "all types of people" both as customers and as servers. 

I loved the checkerboard decor. This was the bar area. They had another side which was more of a restaurant and then there was space out in front if you wanted to eat outside.

Some of the signs were pretty funny. I do drink quite a lot of coffee in the morning as a rule. LOL 

 I appreciated what they had on the menu regarding the staff. 

This was a fun little place and was so close to the hotel that we actually ended up eating here twice during our stay. The food was delicious and the prices reasonable. 

And that's it for today. Tomorrow will be the Harbor Cruise so hope you come back!

Oh My Gosh It's October!

Hello and welcome to my ongoing series of adventures in Seattle. As you may remember, my husband and I took a recent train trip from the SF Bay Area to Seattle, Washington. I am writing about it as part of the October Ultimate Blogging Challenge. 

Yesterday I wrote about our trip to the Space Needle. I am glad we were able to see that as it crosses off something that was on my husband's bucket list. After we wandered around the gift shop on the ground floor we walked down the path to our next stop, The Chihuly Garden and Glass. I had never heard of Chihuly and had no idea what we were going to see there. When I stepped into the first exhibit it took my breath away. 

The black and white one on the upper left is called Winter Brilliance. Then there were some smaller blown glass pieces that looked like something you would see as a centerpiece on a table. 

As we wandered through to the next area, suddenly the colors started appearing. Such vibrant displays of art and amazing to think that it is blown glass. The rooms were divided into different displays, the Sealife Room, Ikebana and Float Boats, Chandeliers and Macchia Forest. These displays were huge and extended all across the floor. Just stunning. I took a gazillion pictures but won't bore you with them all here. 

There is a room with a glass ceiling and resting on that are tons of glass sculptures of all sizes and shapes. My husband turned his phone upside down and filmed it as we walked across. It's called the Persian Ceiling.

In the middle of a courtyard between the indoor exhibit and the outside garden there was a glass blowing demonstrator and some tables and chairs so you can sit and have a drink if you want. You walk through a glass house to get to the outside garden where there were more glass sculptures mixed in with the flowers and trees. Not quite as striking as the inside vibrant pieces but they were still very nice. 

I wanted to see what these outside sculptures looked like when they were lit up in the evening so I decided to walk back up from our hotel once it was dark to see if I could get in again since our ticket said it was good all day. Unfortunately you are only allowed one entrance a day but the guy at the desk said that I might be able to see some of them through the fence. I did my best to sleuth but it was dark, I was alone and I couldn't really get close enough to see anything through the trees and shrubs. I did get the Space Needle again at night and the fountain. 

After our wanderings through the Chihuly exhibit we went back to our hotel to rest before our next experience, a tour around the harbor. Come back tomorrow and check it out! 

Oh My Gosh It's October!

Hey there, two days in a row in the Ultimate Blog Challenge! When I left you yesterday we had just pulled in to Seattle via Amtrak from Emeryville.  We had a good night's sleep and got up on Wednesday morning ready for our first adventure, seeing the Space Needle and Chiluly Gardens. One of the things that I had been worried about was that we did not rent a car. We usually always have a car so that we can go wherever we want whenever we want when we are traveling. I downloaded the Seattle Yellow Cab app on my phone because research had told me that the cab was cheaper than an Uber but we didn't need to use it for this part of the day because our hotel was within walking distance. 

The Space Needle is so impressive. Inside there is a gift shop of course and along the walkway to the elevator is the history of how it was made. I must admit we didn't stop to read much of that because we were just anxious to get up to the top. 

The view is spectacular and there are several spots that are "photo ops" with markings on the ground for you to stand on. One is in the center with a glass floor and you look up (the middle picture above). That is kinda scary. There is also a revolving area where you can sit and have a drink and watch the scenery scroll by. It used to be a full restaurant but now they just have a mini bar and a place to get some light food and snacks.

You could see our hotel from the top, along with the ferris wheel that is down by the harbor. The basket was hanging out over the edge on the outside and I guess it is used to wash the windows. Something I would NOT like to have to do.  Those spiders are painted on the roof and they looked so creepy. My husband got a T-shirt from the gift shop with them on it. 

There is a "miniature" needle in the middle of the gift shop. The edge of the glass area is sloped so when you are sitting on the bench it almost feels like you're falling backward. In the picture in the top left corner we are helping some folks figure out the photo op spot. You scan the QR code they have and then it automatically downloads to your phone. Wonder what they did before technology hit? Polaroids - LOL.

I have some video of the fountain and a little of the scenery going by but it wouldn't download to Blogger so I'll have to figure that out for future posts. I think I got the photo fixed though.  

Chiluly Gardens deserves its own post so come back tomorrow for that. You'll be glad you did! 

Oh My Gosh It's October

Well hello friends in bloglandia. It has been a minute since I posted anything and I thought it might be time to step in and let you know what's been going on around here. It is easier for me to keep engaged if I have a challenge of some sort and I sorely missed finishing the A to Z earlier this year. To help me now I'm going to try the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. The object is just to blog for 31 days. Not sure I can get that many in but I'm giving it a shot. 

For my first post I'll share that my husband and I went on a train trip from Emeryville (just outside of San Francisco) to Seattle, Washington. It has been one of the things we've wanted to do for a while and we are finally able to get away together now that one of us doesn't have to stay at home in case we were needed by my mother-in-law. 

To help me get through the month I'm going to break the trip up into segments. First is the train ride to Seattle. 

We got to the station early so had about an hour to wait before the train left. 

Part of the fun was leaving at night. 

This particular route is called the Coast Starlight on Amtrak and actually runs all the way from Los Angeles to Seattle. 

Since it takes 23 hours to get to Seattle, we decided that it would be worth it to get a "roomette" so that we would have a place to sleep. 

The two seats pull out and form one bed and then the top bunk is the other. 

Honestly it wasn't the most comfortable arrangement but we made it work for the night. We decided that we would contact our travel agent and see if we could get an upgrade for the ride home. They have a "deluxe" room that has its own bathroom and is a little bigger. 

Also on this train is an observatory compartment where you can sit and watch the scenery go by. That was pretty cool. But as we were traveling at night, we couldn't see much - LOL. Still, it was fun to watch the passing lights from the different towns. 

As part of the package you are entitled to 3 meals plus beverages. For the dinner meal you are allowed one alcoholic beverage free if you choose. The food was actually pretty good. For breakfast I had an omelet and my husband had french toast. The omelet wasn't really hot but the cheese was melted. Bill said his french toast was cold. You don't need "reservations" for breakfast but they come around to your rooms during the trip to ask what time you'd like lunch and dinner. 

Each table had flowers and when you were seated, they paired you up with other passengers at a table for four. We ate with different people at every meal. It was kind of fun learning about others who were traveling with us.  

  

I didn't take a picture of all the food but for dinner I had steak which was so tender and juicy. They had some good desserts too!  

We didn't get off the train at every stop but there were a couple where the train stopped longer to refresh supplies and then we did get out to stretch our legs. Along the way I tried to take pictures of what was going past our windows.

Saw the sunrise as we were having breakfast just outside of Klamath Falls. 

Some beautiful scenery going through the mountains. 

We thought the train would have a "bar car" like an actual bar but they don't. Instead they have a space downstairs from the observatory car that has drinks and food you can buy if you want something in between meals. 

            A pumpkin patch!

And finally we made it to our destination, King Street Station, Seattle.  

We had left the Bay Area at about 9:30 on Monday night and pulled into Seattle at 7:30 Tuesday evening. We took a cab to our hotel and settled in for the next 3 days. This was our view out the hotel window:

We stayed at the Hyatt Place. 

 

The Lobby had a shop where you could get drinks and snacks and breakfast was included. 

The room was very nice but we were a bit surprised because there was no dresser to keep our clothes in when we unpacked. 

And this is where I will leave you for today. We settled in for the night and got ready for the first of our adventures in the morning, the Space Needle and Chiluly Gardens. 

Shout out to my friend Karen Fitting of Marvelous Mouse Travels. I have known Karen for many years now but mostly as a scrapbooking buddy. This is the first time I've had her help me with vacation planning and I have to say she is wonderful. We told her what we wanted to do and what our budget was and she put together a package for us that was just perfect. If you are looking to do any traveling, I'd highly recommend her. She even helped us get an upgrade for our train ride home so we could have a bigger space. 

Okay, that's about it for today. So sorry about the photos. I haven't blogged in so long that I forget how to format, especially in Blogger. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have it figured out LOL.