Happy Holidays, from Sunny San Diego

We made it! It was the best trip down so far. Rather uneventful, just how we like it. Seriously, NO SNOW the entire way. Not even a flake! It was glorious. It's not often you can travel three (I think it was 3....I'd have to check my geography to be sure, but who cares, really) mountain passes this time of year without encountering at least SOME snow around you, on the sides of the road or in the trees, if not ON the road. Made for a pleasant ride. Thank you, Lord, for that. 😇

The first night we stayed in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Driving at night is no longer an option for us old folks who need glasses and have a hard enough time deciphering new surroundings during the day, much less after dark. Seems Klamath Falls has become our go-to for night one as the distance from home is about as far as the Randster wants to drive in a day. It was not without it's special touches, however. Found this lovely message written on the wall behind the curtain when I peeked out to see if our car was in view of our room. LOL! 

Also. PLEASE PLEASE NOTE that the remotes are at the very least one thing that is always missed by housekeeping when they "clean". I have yet to find one that doesn't have some kind of who-knows-what on it. Keep those antibacterial wipes handy when you're on the road, people. Covid or no covid!  

We hit the road around 7:30 a.m. on day 2 with a quick stop first at Evil Starbucks (family joke). I had a peppermint mocha, Randy had a "regular" coffee. He hates Evil Starbucks coffee, but thought he might be able to tolerate it/tone it down a notch or two if he poured it into the thermos with the previous day's less-evil leftover coffee. He has decided it's not worth it and won't make that mistake again. Not to be dissuaded from ever again ordering my few and far between Starbuck's hot beverage, I enjoyed my peppermint mocha. Yum.

The second night we stayed in the smelly (you call it agricultural, I call it stinky and gross) little town of Coalinga, California. Middle of nothing. This was our view for miles and miles before we got there and again after we left. Note to self (and reminder on my phone for next trip): we will not stay there again. I couldn't deal. 

Our last leg went pretty smoothly. Driving the freeway through/around Los Angeles is particularly stressful for my driver but we had no problems or freak-outs or anything, which was a first. LOL! We were barely inside the San Diego County Line, though, when we and that guy in the black car both decided we wanted to change lanes at the exact same time in the exact same spot and nearly lost our side mirrors by an inch or less, I swear! Both managed to see each other in time and swerve away without causing any traffic incidents. That was a CLOSE CALL!!! 

Yeah. At 70 miles per hour. 

It was getting close to lunch time and with our hearts beating considerably faster for a few miles, I texted Kathy and we decided to meet for lunch when we got into town. Check in time wasn't till 4 p.m. so Marieta's Santee, here we come! It's one of our favorites and only a quick jaunt from Kath's house. The rest of the afternoon she and I enjoyed mimosas and Yahtzee while the hubs watched movies. And yours truly here forgot to get a single pic. 

We made it to our winter digs after dark, which we always acknowledge is a dumb thing for us to do when we are not familiar with the place we'll be staying. Duh. We drove past the driveway back and forth I don't know how many times before we actually saw it. In our defense, it's pretty obscured by shrubbery and is basically a hairpin turn-off. Anyhoo, we managed to find our way and were pleased that the area has motion lights all the way to our front door as we unloaded the car. 

We were greeted with this lovely surprise as we entered. What a nice touch.

After a good night's sleep (the bed is quite comfortable), we set about getting things unpacked before heading out to get a few groceries. Our winter home is really nice. 

You can see in the mirrored door the area to the left of the bed as you enter the room that will be my craft space.

Check it out. I unpacked my craft bag and everything fits in this little desk perfectly. That is not to say I don't need a whole room anymore by any means. I packed only a handful of goodies to tide me over, so don't get any ideas (husband). Hmm. I didn't bring my Ott light this time which may have been a mistake. Note to self.

We have a really lovely shaded porch area - it's huge I love that it's shady, hubs wishes it were in the sun. I say be careful what you wish for. It can get pretty hot down here when the sun comes out, even in the winter. I'm all for shady, thank you very much. 

There you have the virtual tour! If you can find this listing (I can't seem to link it directly), you can see lots more pics of this fabulous (search this:) Private Granny Flat w/ Garden, in La Mesa, California. 

Be sure to check out AirBnb next time you're planning a trip short or long for work or play. If you haven't tried it yet, we highly recommend it. For longer stays in particular, it's way better than a hotel situation. This is the fourth place we have stayed during our winter escapes and have always had excellent luck with the spots we've chosen and the wonderful hosts who have shared their spaces. The listings include pretty much everything you need to know to make a decision, and every host has been great with answering any questions we've had before and after booking. Of course, you'll want to read reviews of the places you are considering as well, but again, ask questions if you have them. 

If you came to the blog today looking for crafty projects, do come back again soon. I'm itching to create something in my new temporary craft space! Thanks for checking out what's going on over here.