Annie and I have been friends since college orientation (August 1980). Since I had my own vehicle in SoCal, we had the opportunity for a girls' day, with a tiny bit of her husband, Bob included.

The day's plan was to just hang out at home, but while driving over, I saw signs for the Friends of the Library book sale. It was the perfect opportunity to take the dogs for a walk and to explore Fullerton.
In addition, it was the ideal opportunity for us bibliophiles to be in book heaven!
This book's title cracked me up. I regretted not purchasing it.
We strolled by an old warehouse which housed this interesting collection of yard stuff- pews and communion wine flagons.
And how about this Vixen, a recreational vehicle designed by Bill Collins and built from 1986 until 1989. A total of 587 Vixen motorhomes of three different types were built. This is the first time I had ever seen one. Wild stuff.
This was an interesting find. The Amerige Brothers’ Realty Office (1887) is the oldest commercial building in Fullerton. This simple frame building has had a complex history and was the center of business for the town’s founders, George and Edward Amerige. The building served many different functions, including a law office, a milliner’s shop, a barbershop, and eventually as a tool shed. History is everywhere.

Dinner began at 3 PM with an incredible selection of Italian delights from Cortina's Italian Market. Bob said goodnight early while Annie and I stayed up until almost midnight, catching up. It was a very good and much needed connection.

My girlfriend, Karen, does everything with a great deal of pizzazz! So for our day at the Wild Animal Park, we fueled up at Orfila Winery beforehand.

Armed with a picnic lunch and a coupon for six tastings, we devoured the warm temperatures and exceptional view- gleefully.

We then headed to the Safari Park, a 1,000 acre mecca for animal lovers. Opened in 1972, as the Wild Animal Park, it began as a breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo. I've been coming here since it opened and it continues delights every time.
I loved these birds and their knees.


We started our visit by just meandering.




We then boarded the Africa Tram, an exciting half hour expedition which is the best way to see the amazing and diverse animal collection here.
And it seemed to be BABY DAY at the park. So dang cute!


This giraffe is only three weeks old. What a treat to see.

The highlight (and the goal of the day) was to see the new baby tigers at play. One was a baby Bengal tiger that was found when a teenager tried to smuggle it across the border from Mexico (he bought it for $300 from some guy walking down a street). His  playmate is an endangered Sumatran tiger that was rejected by his mother at the Washington DC zoo. Oh my gosh. We stood there for 45 minutes watching them frolic and if the park hadn't been closing, we'd still be there.

When we moved to the idyllic town of Temecula in 1993, the wine business was just beginning.

 A LA Times article written at that time stated, "Temecula's 11 wineries are, by and large, a scrappy, upstart bunch: less than 25 years old, contributing a bare fraction of California's wine production and still struggling to craft a reputation as noteworthy winemakers." Oh how far they've come...
Now, the 40 plus Temecula wineries offer visitors many wine tasting and entertainment options. You can find small family run tasting rooms and full-fledged “destination wineries”. Some wineries feature music and event venues. Many of the larger wineries offer high-end lodging and full-service restaurants.
For a unique, local experience, we chose Leoness Winery (c. 2002) at which to wine and dine. Leoness Cellars is deeply rooted in the history of agriculture and farming in the Temecula Valley. Co-founder, Gary Winder, began farming in the valley in the early 1970s with a focus on citrus and avocados and quickly built a reputation in the valley for being a high quality farming business. Gary was joined by Mike Rennie in the early 90s and together they focused on growth of their vineyard operations. And the rest is history (and so very picturesque).
Yes, I love to photograph food. We didn't want to forget this delectable Alaska Halibut with sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms and a miso broth.
The artistic flare of my beet salad with goat cheese and arugula, dotted with a beet vinaigrette was worth capturing.
It is wonderful to play tourist in your old hometown and appreciate how much it has grown since you left it. Sometimes you can go back... even if only for lunch!

For a portion of our SoCal stay, we are camping at Steve's brother's house, nestled in the middle of Wine Country. Check out our sightings thus far... wow.

 We awoke to this sunrise...
 Which was followed by our own personal Hot Air Balloon Festival.


 We were visited by other flying things as well.

Our plans were to meet our nephew and his wife for lunch, with my request being that we dine by the beach. Leave it to our nephew to take that request to the extreme... he rented a pontoon boat.

 It was the ideal day to be by the sea!
In addition to bringing along an amazing picnic lunch, they invited some pretty amazing guests, too, including his mom, Lynne and his sister. We haven't seen them since our nephew's wedding, last summer. In addition, we had the pleasure of spending the day with two of our niece-in-law's teaching colleagues (who were fun and French). So dang awesome.


Funseeker... what a perfect name for a boat!

The Haerr Women...