California - Midlife Road Trip

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Quaint, Quirky and Colorful … The Madonna Inn

Quaint, Quirky and Colorful … The Madonna Inn shatters the illusion that all hotels look alike. The Madonna Inn’s humble beginnings started in 1958.with only 12 rooms but quickly expanded. Sitting on 2200 acres, the architecture and construction encompassed all the natural resources found on the property including the rocks, some of which weigh in excess of 200 tons each.
Now boasting 110 rooms, individually designed and decorated so that each is unique, you can opt for a different experience each time you stay. Throughout the inn you’’ll find etched, leaded windows & glass work all custom made as well as custom crafted wood carvings. The hand carved balustrade in the dining room was originally from Hearst castle and the 28-foot gold tree fixture that sits in the main dining room is made of excess electrical conduit from building projects and left over copper remnants.

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Overcoming Your Fear of Flying

I don’t like flying. I hate not being in control. I hate every bump and noise I can’t identify. I profile the other passengers. I know where my exits are. I pay close attention to the safety instructions even though I have heard them a hundred times. I monitor our route on line. I read the faces of the flight attendants making sure they are confident everything is going along as planned and nothing is out of the ordinary. I [...]

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Classic Tomato Sauce

The sign of a good Italian restaurant is a classic tomato sauce. La Dolce Vita, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA is a little Italian restaurant that has been there unassumingly since 1966. While outwardly it’s unremarkable, inside it is the keeper of stories of some of Hollywood’s most notorious characters and the food is an event in itself to be enjoyed, encompassing all of your senses. Family sized Recipe Ingredients 5 pounds of fresh tomato Bring to a boil let [...]

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OMG An Eight Pound Cheeseburger!

We visited The Catch, just across from Angels stadium in Anaheim, California where Rick witnessed the making of the famous “OMG” – an enormous eight pound cheeseburger!

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Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge

While on our trip up the Pacific Coast Highway, we joined our friend Vicky Akins in a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge to check one more thing off our Bucket List.

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Los Angeles By Air

Sandi gets a bird’s eye view of Los Angeles while taking flying lessons! Bucket List CHECK!

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Whale Watching

Sandi gets an up close look at some of the biggest animals on earth on a whale watching adventure from the Dana Wharf in Dana Point, California. Meanwhile, Rick loses his sandal. Bucket List CHECKED!

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#RoadTripping is American as Baseball, Hot Dogs and Apple Pie #SummerOfDoing

We Love a Good Road trip …. after all we call ourselves the “Midlife Road Trip” which for us is the “Perfect Therapy for a Midlife Crisis”. We are always on the go. We just returned from a Four Week, 7200 mile cross country road trip, in search of the Most Patriotic Small Towns in America! We were barely home and we already started planning the next adventure. There is so much to see and do and a road trip [...]

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Learning to Surf

There’s no better place to learn how to surf than Hunting Beach California, a.k.a. Surf City USA … and there’s nothing more fun than watching Rick wipe out… time and time again… and again as he checks “Learning to Surf” off his Bucket List.

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Breaking Out the Good Stuff~ Aurielle Cabernet Sauvignon

It’s a old adage that wine gets better with age. I recently received a bottle of the 2008 Aurielle Cabernet Sauvignon, a higher end Napa Valley wine that if cellared for a few years will totally ROCK! The perfect pairing with your Sunday Dinner! I have neither the patience nor discipline to wait for a wine to peak so I uncorked the bottle and poured it into a decanter. Just letting the wine breathe for about 20 minutes was a [...]

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French Feta Cheese Appetizer #NationalCheeseDay #Recipe

The Beachcomber Cafe at Crystal Cove just off the Pacific Coast Highway in the Historic District of the Crystal Cove State Park is a throwback to yesteryear. Smack dab on the beach, sand in your shoes, the open air patio features breathtaking sunsets and fabulous food. The food is fantastic and you won’t find a better view of the Pacific Ocean, Newport Coastline and Catalina Island anywhere!! They shared with us their French Feta Appetizer recipe. We loved it and think [...]

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Midlife Road Trip on Dancing With The Stars!

Rick and Sandi learned some moves with the fabulous cast of Battle of the Dance in Anaheim, California. Are they ready for Dancing with the Stars? … you be the judge.

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Making Spring Rolls in Little Saigon

Shopping with Chef Hayley Nguyen in Orange County’s Little Saigon for ingredients to make her famous spring rolls.

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CNN Hero Prepares Pasta with Purpose & Passion

Since 1987, Italian immigrant Bruno Serato, has owned the Anaheim White House Restaurant in Orange County, California which features Northern Italian cuisine. He’s prepared meals for many celebrities among them Danny De Vito, Andrea Bocelli, Madonna and even former president Jimmy Carter. Bruno’s philosophy is simple: to treat each and every one of his patrons as a distinguished guest in his home. Simple as it may be, Anaheim’s once “hidden treasure” is now recognized worldwide, and is now a “home” to many.

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Anderson’s Famous Pea Soup ~ Good Ole Kitschy Road Trip Fun

One of the great things about social media is that no matter where we travel, our online pals give us great tips about what to see and do. That’s why, when they told us about a place in Buellton, California, called Pea Soup Andersen’s, we just had to stop and see what all the fuss was about.

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