On New Year’s Eve, we decided to drive north to Solvang, California. It was a turnaround trip that started at noon. The weather was perfect to drive with the top down in my convertible. The scenic route took us up the coast. What a glorious drive.

  Once we arrived in Solvang, we parked and decided to walk around the small tourist part of the town. It was a Dutch getaway. We enjoyed walking hand in hand while we checked out the quaint stores.

  We only stayed for 2 hours and then we were back in the car with the top down heading back to Southern California.

   If you’re looking for a slow pace, quaint little town to shop and enjoy the food and pastries then I would recommend Solvang. If you’re interested in an area that is upbeat and lively, this is not your town.

   Overall, we enjoyed our New Year’s Day trip. But, I must admit the best part of the trip was the company and the scenic drive to and from.

The civic Musical Road was built on Avenue K in Lancaster, California on September 5, 2008. Grooves were cut into the asphalt of the street in order to replicate part of the Finale of the William Tell Overture. On September 23, 2008, the road was paved over because of nearby residents that complained to city council about the noise levels. However, the complaints from city residents about the removal of the road sang louder, and the road was recreated on October 15, 2008 on Avenue G, 2 miles away from any residents in the area.

This street is named after the Honda Civic and has appeared in Honda Civic commercials. The road causes a tactile vibration and loud rumbling that is transmitted through the wheels into the car body. This is what gives the musical song that we hear when we pass over it.

There are four other musical roads that exist in four different countries. There is one in Denmark, Japan, South Korea and the United States. If you’re in the area of Lancaster take a moment and check out the musical road. It’s a “groovy” thing to hear.

ONE BOOK UP

While you’re in Lancaster, check out a delightful little café called Primo Café located at 44599 Valley Central Way. We stopped in for a traditional turkey sandwich with avocado. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the cozy ambience of the dining room. We stopped in around 8:30 pm on a Friday night and were promptly
seated. In the dining room, there was a pleasant fireplace, which helped set the mood, for this casual café. Primo offers free Wi-Fi, Beer & Wine only, and they have T.V.’s.

If you’re in the area and you’re looking for something tasty and affordable. Check them out.

Santa Barbara has many things to offer from fresh food, shopping, the beach and the mountains. The possibilities are endless. Here are just a few things that we may or may not have enjoyed in Santa Barbara.

TWO BOOKS UP

The trip to Santa Barbara was beautiful. The weather was 60 refreshing degrees. We drove the whole way with the top down in my convertible. There was a small turn off just before we reached Santa Barbara called Sea Cliff. It took us straight into a cove where campers park their RV’s and enjoy the beach at their front door. It was a beautiful place, and a superb site to stop and take pictures.

TWO BOOKS UP

The Harbor House Inn located at 104 Bath Street in Santa Barbara should change their name to The Harbor “Home” Inn. This quaint Inn makes you feel right at home from the moment that you walk into their lobby and start your check in. I’ve never stayed anywhere that has taken the time to think about everything the customer may require or want. For starters, the location is one block from the beach and about two blocks from the pier. Once inside this lovely dwelling, you are greeted with a breakfast basket which includes water, yogurt, biscotti’s, bananas, cranberry juice, apple juice, grapefruit juice, guava juice and a loaf of homemade banana nut bread (homemade right in the  small kitchen off the lobby where you check in.)

This impressive hotel provides free wireless internet access, cable TV with HBO, which includes a DVD player. Our room also included a nostalgic record player that was in excellent condition. We had a full kitchen, with a stove, microwave, and coffee pot with fresh ground coffee. There were also assorted teas, a refrigerator with a basket of creamers and a bowl of individual butters that you could use on your banana nut bread. Let’s not forget about the Iron and Ironing board and a hair dryer.

Aside from all those things, this charming hotel also included complimentary use of their 3-speed cruising bicycles, beach chairs, umbrellas and beach towel usage for that day of fun in or near the sand.

We were beyond ecstatic about our stay with the Harbor House Inn and we’ve already decided that our trips to Santa Barbara will have to include this cozy, quaint, adobe full of warmth and love.

TWO BOOKS UP

There were a few places to eat on the pier in Santa Barbara. Since we were here to celebrate a milestone birthday, it seemed only fitting to let the birthday boy decide where he wanted to have dinner. His choice was at Longboard’s Grill located upstairs from the Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf.

We chose to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean in one direction and the Santa Ynez Mountains in the other. We watched birds fly through the air while the sun began to set behind the horizon.  The orange and purple colors reflecting light on the ocean water was a spectacular setting to our tasty meal. It was one of those moments where you sit back and appreciate the beauty and company you have around you.

TWO BOOKS UP

El Torito Cantina was a pleasant place to have lunch. The service was fantastic; the food was delicious, and the view was breathtaking. If you like Mexican food and being near the water, then this is an excellent place to stop and have lunch or dinner. The weather was a bit rainy on our way out of town, but we were able to capture a great picture from our table to show how close we were to the water.

Of course, Santa Barbara has may other things that are worth your time and effort to explore. Our visit was short but fun. When we go back, we plan on seeing and doing many more things that we can add to our list of adventures. (And of course share them here with you).

LOVE – LIVE – LAUGH

LIKE TODAY WAS YOUR LAST

TWO BOOKS UP:

I was first taken to a show that was an oddly hilarious play in Los Angeles California called “Busting Out.” It originated in the U.K. and came to Los Angeles in October 2011. It’s a slapstick comedy about a woman’s drooping assets performed in superb taste. What a fun night.

TWO BOOKS DOWN:

After we saw the show we went to a restaurant called The Penthouse at the top of the Huntley hotel in Santa Monica, California.  UNFORTUNATELY, we experienced abominable service within a less than desirable atmosphere. We were not impressed with that place at all.

TWO BOOKS UP:
In search of yummy food and atmosphere, we found ourselves at Neptune’s Net seafood restaurant in Malibu California. This is a laid back restaurant that had a lovely patio where you could eat and enjoy the sound of the crashing waves of Malibu’s waters across the street. The restaurant was established in 1958. Many locals, celebrities, and people passing through Malibu have enjoyed Neptune’s Net for their warm and friendly establishment as well as their location. I KNOW WE DID!!

Stay tune for more…

In my case, I needed intervention from becoming a hermit. I guess you could say, I needed invention from myself.

It started two years ago when I began writing IOU. While writing the story, I found myself submerged in the world in which I was creating. It’s true that being in such a place is a great thing WHILE WRITING THE STORY however, when your story begins to take precedence over your own life, well, that’s where the problem starts.

For me, it hasn’t stopped there. Lately, whether at work, at my son’s basketball game or even at the dinner table, I can honestly say there isn’t a minute that goes by that I’m NOT thinking about Apollo and Amaya from The Turning, Carlo and Mia from IOU, Jacob and Destiny from Dividing Destiny or Antonio and Candace from Snap Shot. These people have moved into my mind deeper than even my tasks at hand.

I’ve stopped hanging out with friends, spending time with family and even stopped listening, with full attention, when my boys talk to me. My mind always seems to float in that multitasking area that I’m sure you have experienced before. Once in a while, being in that cluttered space would be fine but to spend each and every day in that capacity is an undesirable place to be.

My intervener is a great friend that has recently been tugging at my hand, wanting to get me away from my stories and out into the world. One step at a time, I’ve been spending more time socializing and finding that balance that I so desperately needed.

Finally, this weekend I felt in complete control again. A weekend getaway to Las Vegas, Nevada with a group of friends is what did it for me. In the back of my mind, I was hoping I could find some alone time to write. But, my laptop never came out of my suitcase. We talked, laughed, ate great food, visited a number of casinos and spent Saturday night at the Kings vs. Avalanche hockey game.

For the first time IN A LONG TIME, I spent time away from my CREATIVE mind and away from my book characters in order to enjoy the company of great friends.

Sometimes we all need someone to intervene in our lives, and I’m grateful that I have fantastic friends that knew when I needed them the most.

Our book is finally finished. Well, finished to the point that we have written the last word however, it still needs to go through editing. We hope for a release date of 9-1-11.

Co-authoring a book has been something new for me. It was venture that took a lot of energy, time and patience. But, together we were able to create a world of intrigue and horror. I hope our vision comes across nicely in the book.

It is interesting that I started crying after I wrote the final word. I have never done that with any of my other books. I don’t think my tears were tears of joy, I think they were tears of relief. This was a tough book to write. Not just because the book was co-authored but also because it was in a genre that I don’t usually write in… HORROR.

Another fact that I not only found interesting but a bit odd was the nightmare that I had days after the book was finished. It was a vampire nightmare and when I woke, I felt an eerie evilness lingering in my bedroom.  To my dismay, my co-author also started having numerous nightmares a day or so after the book was finished.

Weird…

Time will tell…