Skip to main content

A Rainy Day in Cardiff by the Sea

It was raining hard the day we woke up with plans to drive to Carlsbad, CA. I wondered if our plans would change to staying home and watching a DVD and eating a bowl of popcorn! The rain stopped and the sun peeked out mid morning for about a minute and it was all we needed to get in the car and we were on our way for a pleasant drive up north. My day in Carlsbad will forever be one of those special memories of my life. The day was a gift to me, an early Mother’s Day gift, and one of those “mother-daughter” times we moms cherish. I’m blessed!

Besides walking through the mall, we went to The Flower Fields where the flowers extended forever like blankets of color as far as the eye can see. Hay rides take you through acres of flowers. We were thankful the rain held off, but it was cold. There’s a park for children that looked like fun and we got lost in the Sweet Pea Maze. It was wonderful to see the Poinsettias growing in the greenhouse; it made me think of Christmas.



When we left Carlsbad, we drove south along the ocean. Then it poured! We ate a late lunch at The Beach House in Cardiff by the Sea. It was fun to watch the rain fall, and see the big waves from the ocean roll onto the beach. The ambiance was beautiful and the food delicious! My daughter ordered a chicken salad and I had the chicken sandwich with roasted peppers and mozzarella cheese, and french fries, too! Hey, it was my day.








Comments

  1. So beautiful! Thank you for taking the time to share your travels, though now I'm hungry, and heading off to make a salad!

    Blessings,
    Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fun day, especially since you got to spend it with your daughter. Btw, both the salad and sandwich looked yummy! Nothing like a blogger taking photos of her food. I do it all the time; lol.

    Mary, there's something special about the ocean. I love to hear the sound of the breaking waves and smell the salt air. That is the one thing I miss living in Phoenix. However, I guess it's just an hour plane ride, right?

    Blessings and love,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful. Love those overcast rainy days. Those french fries look mighty good as well. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary:
    This was like a visit back to my mom and dads place in San Juan Capistrano. We had so many wonderful trips out there and we did the same beach things that you shared with your daughter! And the food... we loved trying new things and there isn't any place better for that than southern California. Even the waves you had playing in the background. When we grew up there, we spent every day we could at the beach. Texas beaches are NOT like California!!
    This was such a treat! Thanks for letting us share your wonderful time.

    Love,
    Sonja

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's San Diego! Still enjoyable and lots of fun even if rain is falling :) Beautiful pics! And that food! Oh my! Yummy! Have a great weekend sister Mary and God bless you and protect you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds like you had an amazing day!! You got some really great pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Loved your post today, Mary. Thank you so much for sharing the wonderful pictures with us. Glad you had the opportunity to spend this day with your daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh Mary what a wonderful day you were blessed with :) Your sweet daughter, the OCEAN, and a wonderful yummy meal! Sounds Divine!!! So happy you were able this special day together!

    Bless you my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mary, sounds like you had a beautiful day with your daughter. Thank you for sharing it with us. Have a beautiful weekend.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

    ReplyDelete
  10. A beautiful, delicious day indeed! I love seeing the flowers laid out like an endless piece of carpet. Flowers are the fingerprints of God, another way of letting us know that he's around and has not forgotten us.

    peace~elaine

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely time! I'm so glad she blessed you with such a nice trip.

    I love the ocean so much though I rarely get to see it. :o) We usually head west (which means MOUNTAINS for us).

    I just posted about my conference.

    Love & hugs!
    bETH

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love hearing about travels, especially in beautiful CA! A few years ago we drove up the coast (from San Francisco). It was the most beautiful drive we ever took!

    Sounds like your trip was heavenly...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love Carlsbad - have you ever been in the caves? Beautiful pictures.

    Love to you
    kelly

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your photos are beautiful! It looks like you had a lovely day with your daughter. I love the flowers...so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your day.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh how wonderful! Thank you for sharing! I love the views. I miss the ocean. I was just thinking about how much I love California - just this morning! Mmmmm . . . french fries - way to go!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a beautiful day!

    I wanted to thank you for being a part of my first year of blogging! What a wonderful year it has been. I'm throwing a little party and as an honored guest, I would love for you to stop by and share a highlight of your year with all of us.

    http://justsarahdawn.blogspot.com/2010/04/cactus-happy.html

    Cactus Happy,
    Sara

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi there,
    My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
    I was looking for blogs about Cardiff-by-the-Sea to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
    Hope to hear from you soon!
    Jane

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Daisy House

I work at my desktop with the children at my feet.  A makeshift area rug made of white butcher paper lines the floor where the baby, crayon in hand, imitates her big sister.  Sister focuses on the finishing touches of the house she designed.  The catchy children’s song, Wheels of the Bus, blasts from the Toddler Station on Pandora Radio. Six year old Sookie unveils her masterpiece and I ooh and awe at the sketch.  “It’s a daisy house!”  I exclaim.  “I love the colors.  I wonder what the inside looks like.”  Without hesitating, Sookie describes each room.  “There are five rooms and they are all different colors.  One is Mint Chip, another Strawberry.  There is a Vanilla room, and a Cookies & Cream room and the last room is Rocky Road.  You have to wear a sweater inside because it is very cold.” “A house made of ice cream,” I reply.  “It sounds heavenly!” I dug into my Bible readings that morning ...

Marriage Tip #44: Do What He Wants

I thought about our upcoming anniversary.   I prayed one morning for the marriages in my family, and a sentence about my own dropped in my spirit:  “ Do What He Wants .”  I paused, “Really?”  He’s his own man.  What if I end up in the wilderness camping by night and target shooting by day?  What if a coyote decides to have me as a late night snack? We celebrated our anniversary early this year, Before the kids come next week.   And we did it his way . This is how it happened. I never asked him about a plan or even mentioned our day.  I remember how it all unfolded at the roundabout just as we drove into Sedona.  He asked me if I would like to go to a baseball game.  I responded excitedly, “Yeah!”  Before the day was over, he purchased tickets for a Diamondbacks home game. He printed them out.  He booked a hotel room so we wouldn’t have to drive home from the city after the late evening game. ...

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...