Crystal Cove, CA

And back from the dead...."How do you explain yourself, Brittany?" Simply. I decided if I couldn't blog properly, I wouldn't blog at all. I've had a number of non-blog jobs lately I was going to go Amanda Bynes if I tried to do it all. What have I been up to? Thought you'd never ask...
We spent the last two weeks of August roadtripping to Northern California to visit friends at their ranch in Castro Valley and then Benicia and exploring San Francisco (thanks to a few comments on my SF post, I will now, heretofore, never call it San Fran. My deepest apologies). Sadly, I didn't take many pictures there BUT I did take some when we scooted on down to Orange County to visit my family. 
On a whim, we decided to go to Crystal Cove State Park. Now, if you're from South OC like I am, you have no choice but to drive through it on your drive from Laguna Beach to Corona del Mar on Pacific Coast Highway. I knew the yellow shake stand along the side of the road--I'm a deep lover of ice cream--but shockingly had never been. What I didn't know was that there was a whole village tucked below the cliffs at the bend in the highway. NO IDEA! Apparently, this historic district was created in the 30s-50s as a movie set for its tropical vibe. Later on, people were able to lease out the cottages, but in the 2000s they had to leave and now the cottages are available as a hotel. A reasonably priced one I might add. Shocking once again! There's even a restaurant, The Beachcomber, which I haven't tried, and a little visitor's center. The non-profit alliance is slowly renovating all the cottages, of which they are in desperate need.  Walking through this village was like coming across Diagon Alley. Now folks, I've only read the 1st Harry Potter, but I feel comfortable throwing out the comparison--Atlantis was a little much.There were just all these people walking around, enjoying the sunshine and beach and buildings, and my whole life I didn't know a thing about it.
 Above, these are the cottages they are restoring in phases.
Paul's food motto: the weirder the better. And don't tell me I don't put enough pictures of myself on my blog. See above. Oh, you don't see me? Squint!
 I mean...is it not gorgeous! Next time you're in Orange County, you must go.
Ok, I'll be popping in a bit more frequently, but there are still a few projects that I need to check off before I come back full throttle. I know, you can barely contain your excitement, right? 
all photos taken on my iphone and many from my Instagram