A Photo Tour of Monterey!

August 18, 2016: Orchidelirium Recap & More Monterey

4/18/2016

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP IN: 31 DAYS

A Photo Tour of Monterey

Hi Guys (and Gals, I hope that ya know when I say that - I mean EVERYONE)!

So as of this morning I'm back home again, and this time have 31 Days before my next trip - on one hand that seems like a very long time & on the other hand it feels like it's right around the corner!!

31 days between trips is actually quite a while for us, I think the last time I had this much "down time" was in between coming back from Hawaii (Oct 2015) and going to Joshua Tree (Nov 2015) - there were 35 days between trips! YIKES!!

I'm gonna get on with my little Monterey show and tell from yesterday...and
YES it ALL took place in ONE DAY!

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Although almost 3,000 miles apart, both Elisa's and my day started out with Flowers -
as you probably know by now that we are both big Floral Fans!

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Look at this lovely Purple Fuzzy Flower - "Mexican Bush Sage" (c)travelincousins

Dave and I had breakfast at Tillie Gorts Cafe and the headed back to the Sea Otter Classic - this time to check out the festival...

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Dave was overwhelmed and I could understand why.

There was just sooooo much, and cycling is HIS love!

He would just stand in awe as we watched the demos and shows.

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Rows and rows of booths and booths of vendors - it was a cyclist's shopping heaven!

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So many events happening simultaneously, that it was definitely a place to come with a good game plan as to what you hated to do and what you wanted to see - which we I'll tell ya right now - aside from our Gran Fondo (took place yesterday) -
WE WERE NOT PREPARED!

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At breakfast we had decided to catch the Mountain Bike Trials Stunt Show with Ryan Leech and it was totally awesome - this guy ROCKS!

Ryan Leech - riding on a pole! (c)travelincousins

Plus really got me in the mood for our next mountain biking adventure (Oregon - July, 2016)!

I'll tell ya one thing - this may have been our first time coming to the Sea Otter Classic.

But it won't be our last!

Next we went for our little snack at Happy Girl Cafe, where they offer a menu and sell lots of locally made goods, including jars and jars of their own preserves, jams, relishes, etc...
It was a cute place. BUT I pretty much got turned off immediately when I arrived to the counter at 2:38p and although I knew that I was only there for a drink and snack - the associate didn't and her greeting was by telling me that they are no longer serving food (although they close at 4pm)!! WTH?!?!

Whatever! It left a bad taste in my mouth (so to speak), however it didn't stop me from making my originally intended purchases.

Up next was Point Pinos Lighthouse..

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The interior of Point Pinos Lighthouse (c)travelincousins

There's an amazing view out there! (c)travelincousins

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Then we were off to sightsee along the famed 17 mile Drive - where we got to see Sea Otters!
Okay they weren't incredibly close, but we sure spotted at least 4 of them little cutie pies!

We also saw: squirrels, bunnies, an array of seabirds, seals, and even a whale!

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Did you know: 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach is one of the most scenic drives in the world!

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All the Seals on Birdrock! (c)travelincousins

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Along 17 mile Drive (c)travelincousins

The Lone Cypress -
This tree is one of California's most enduring landmarks! This tree has prevailed on its rocky perch for more than 250 years!

The Lone Cypress (c)travelincousins

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One thing I've gotta tell you is how I was so frustrated...
I totally didn't even think to charge up my camera batteries. I thought they still had plenty of life.
But noooo they threatened to die on me from rather early on in the day.

And it wasn't just one of my cameras - it was both!

Luckily somehow at least my SLR lasted me through most of the day (although causing me to not take as many pictures as I would've liked), and even luckier that Dave's SLR uses the same battery and he was willing to share.

I on the other hand am a bit of a dodo brain - Sure I could've charged up last night, but even more so... I have an extra battery pack made just for situation like these!

But have I ever used it? Nope.
Is it still in the box? Yup.
Did I learn my lesson? I hope so.

BTW the last thing we did before dinner was finally go the Cannery Row...

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And THAT was my day!

Soooo...
You could say that I keep crazy hours.
You could say that I'm hard to keep up with.
You could say that I'm exhausting.
But you can't say that I don't live my life to the fullest!
Squeezing every last second out of every minute, hour, and day.
It may not be for everyone (that's why you guys get to read about it). But it's definitely for me!

Catch y'all back here tomorrow,
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TOUR: 4 DAYS

Delirious for Orchidelirium

Hey there and Happy Monday!!

Well folks, did I have a wonderful visit at The New York Botanical Gardens yesterday in the Bronx!!

You know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE Flowers and walking around the Gardens on such a spectacular weather day that yesterday was and strolling through the Orchid exhibit, was just so cheery and uplifting!

Flowers galore at The New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx (c)travelincousins.com

The perfect sunshine and mild temperatures just put me in a super mood from the moment I woke up.

Me and th girls drove into Queens, picked up Aunt Ro and then headed over the Triboro Bridge to the Bronx. Although the Botanical Gardens opens at 10am and we arrived a bit after 11am, the parking on-site was already full!

So, we had to park a block away at the municipal parking lot -- and folks, with six floors, it too was packed - we ended up parking on the very top level!!

Just having parked near the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx (c)travelincousins.com

I'm really not sure if it was that Spring was in the air or because it was the last day of the Orchid Show, but boy did people come out in droves to spend a leisurely day in the beauty of nature.

I do need a moment to vent...From the moment we parked, my kids (God bless them) began complaining about walking; asking if there was going to be a lot of walking; what if they get tired; are there places to sit; how long are we going to be there and the complaints went on and on.

I tried to be jovial and patient by making jokes and engaging them. But, they were really getting on my last nerve.

Seriously? My entire existence is about these girls - my weekends are about their riding, running around for them during the week, etc., and one freakin' day is a problem for them to spend a few hours walking around a beautiful outdoor area?

Boy, was I mad! I'm not sure either of them is going to ride this coming weekend.

The Conservatory at the NY Botanical Gardens (c)travelincousins.com

Ok - my rant is done!

Walking around the grounds of the Gardens was glorious (in spite of my miserable offspring). But, the real joy was inside the Conservatory, getting up close and personal with all those gorgeous orchids!!

I could not stop snapping away! (Of course, this was an issue for the kids as well - ugh - thinking I took "enough" photographs).

It's really impossible to take too many pictures of these natural works of art! So many colors and shapes and sizes!

The array of displays throughout was truly breathtaking as well!

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16 Beautiful Facts
About Orchids

1. Orchids are one of the largest and most diverse groups of plants. Over 25 000 species of orchids have been described with researchers discovering hundreds of new species each year.

2. In addition to those found in the wild, 100 000 varieties of orchids are created artificially, via selective breeding.

3. The lifespan of an orchid depends on the species but certain species can survive up to 100 years.

4. Size, shape and texture of leaves depend on the habitat.

5. Orchids produce several millions of miniature seeds. Only few seeds will develop into mature plant.

6. Substances derived from orchids are used spices, fragrance and in traditional Asian medicine.

7. Vanilla is extracted from the pod of Vanilla planifolia, which is a species of orchid.

8. According to the fossil evidence, orchids have existed on the planet for about 100 million years.

9. In 1818 the naturalist William John Swainson sent back the first orchid specimen seen in London.

10. Between 1838 and 1910, there was an obsession with orchids, bringing rise to the Orchid Hunters who traveled to remote areas around the world in search of these flowers.

11. Orchids grow on every continent except Antarctica.

12. Orchids have the tiniest seeds in the world.

13. A single orchid seedpod can contain up to 3 million seeds.

14. Orchid flowers always grow upside down when mature.

15. An orchid has bilateral symmetry — like a human face — so if a line is drawn vertically down the middle of the flower, the two halves are mirror images of each other.

16. Orchids can be the purest white or almost solid black with every hue of the rainbow represented by an orchid flower.

Now, at one point, the kids did do something fun and decided to roll down one of the hills, which I happened to capture on video. It broke "some" of their moodiness.

More with the rant...the worst part of the day was our walk from The Gardens, around the perimeter of Fordham University, down Fordham Road to Arthur Avenue and through Little Italy.

It was a whopping half-mile walk and the kids acted as if they were being water-boarded. I did my best to encourage them and tell funny stories, but my patience was wearing thin and I just lost it at one point and gave them a speech about how selfish they were.

We arrived at Dominic's but, they only take cash, so I had to find an ATM to get money, but in the end, the gang felt that Dominic's would be too hot inside, so we opted for Blue Mediterranean Restaurant on Arthur Avenue.

Honestly, sitting al fresco was very enjoyable since there was a great breeze, but the service...in a word...SUCKED.

I hate giving a bad review, but I came by this one honestly - so much so, I'll be reviewing it this Friday. The food was hit or miss, which I'll tell you more about, but, overall, I was let down.

The girls came around a bit after filling their tanks, but I was still pissed off grrrrrrr.

So, my plan is to return to the Botanical Gardens for the upcoming Daffodil Show WITHOUT the kids. I'll have to find a few other things for them to enjoy.

PLEASE CATCH UP ON TANYA'S DAY YESTERDAY OUT IN MONTEREY!!! I am loving her gorgeous photos!!!

See ya'll back here tomorrow!

-E
xoxo

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August 18, 2016: Orchidelirium Recap & More Monterey

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP IN: 31 DAYS