Tuesday, November 8, 2011

La Jolla Coast, California..and a Winner!


I'm returning to show some more scenes from our recent trip to California where my husband and I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1, from San Diego to San Francisco. Before we left beautiful San Diego we stopped by the coast of La Jolla which is an affluent, hilly, seaside suburb located twelve miles north of downtown San Diego.



La Jolla is surrounded on three sides by ocean bluffs and beaches, and I enjoyed watching the seals swimming and basking in the sun along this coastline.



Harbor seals are a coastal species of marine mammal of the order of pinnipedia. They must come out of the water onto dry land each day in order to survive. You can read more about the seals and their La Jolla habitat at the La Jolla Friends of the Seals web page.



We were back on the road and on our way north!


For many miles of the trip we had ocean views on one side.....



...and views of California hill side houses on the other!



I was so excited and anticipating about all the wonderful sights I was going to see in California. This was definitely a trip we dreamed about, and I hope you'll follow along as I show more in my next few posts.





And now for the winner of the free My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software download give away!  I used the Random Number Generator and number 10,  Jeanne of the  Backyard Neighbor blog was the winner! Congratulations, Jeanne, I know you'll enjoy this software!




Even if you did not win the give away you can take advantage of the My Memories digital scrapbook software promotion by entering this code STMMMS34516 at check out and you will be provided with a special $10.00 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10.00 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20.00 value!

I made the photo collage of the seals above using this software.  It's quick and easy to use, and I have been enjoying making pages for my family photos that I will make into books, or frame.  It feels good to finally have an easy way to scrapbook all the digital images in my folders, and I hope you'll also take advantage of using this top rated digital software for your photos.


I'm linking this post to "Outdoor Wednesday" on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer, and "Alphabe Thursday," on Jenny Matlock's blog --the letter is "B" and there is so much blue water and sky in these photos I hope this post qualifies!


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56 comments:

Michelle said...

What a fantastic trip. I am longing to visit California and see the sights. I am looking forward to seeing some more photos from your trip.

Jeannelle said...

I love the ocean views and will be looking forward to seeing more!

Pamela Gordon said...

Very beautiful scenery! Thanks for sharing more of your trip. Pamela

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to your winner! Love those Pacific Ocean views!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Congratulations to Jeanne! What an awesome car trip!!! I love that seal on the rocks, and also the houses and palm trees. I can't wait to see more!

camp and cottage living said...

What a fabulous trip!
The shorelines are spectacular!

Jim said...

Beautiful shore shots.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Lacey R said...

Awesome photos Pat, I would love to take that drive someday!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Wow---that's another drive I want to make sometime. The La Jolla area is gorgeous ---and I love the color of the water. What a neat neat place!!!
Hugs,
Betsy

Cindy said...

What great views you had of the ocean, there is nothing more lovely than the ocean! Very nice!!! I have enjoyed seeing what you saw while out west.
Hugs, Cindy

Light and Voices said...

Hwy One from CA to Canada is on my Bucket List. Your photos show how really beautiful the trip could be. It looks like you had a lovely time. My favorite is the seals.
Joyce M

Judy said...

The California coast...a wonderful road trip! I'm re-living it via your photos.

Congrats to Jeanne!

Kris said...

Stunning photos!!! Truly stunning!!

Linda said...

Last time in La Jolla we saw a man sitting in a beach chair feeding the sea gulls cheetos...they came up and took them from his hand...the kids told me he's there every day! I'm not sure cheetos is the best thing to feed the birds though...I'm so glad you enjoyed your time in our state!!

Lynn said...

Gorgeous pics Pat, love the hillside houses! You don't see that very often in Philly:@)

Ola said...

seeing seals must be a great adventure!

diane b said...

Oh goody! I'm going to enjoy this trip along the coast especially now that I can recognise some places that I have been to, like La Jolla.

Old Kitty said...

Oh the harbour seals are so worth the trip alone!! Awww they're adorable and it's great to read that there are friends of the seals who look out for them! Hoooorah!

Take care
x

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

I haven't been "out and about" as much as I would like lately. You've sure been on the move Pat. From the right side of the US and now to the left. The allure of the tropics always calls my name, but those fabulous houses on the hills in California are pretty too and I bet their views are to-die-for.
Sam

Jeanne said...

Oh my gosh Pat, I was reading your beautiful post and forgot to check the winner. I scrolled back up and it's ME!!! I am so excited I need to wake up Bill. I have been talking about this program like crazy. I am thrilled beyond words. Now, I will drive my blogging friends crazy with all my scrapbooking pictures and knowledge. HA! Thank you so much. Yikes Billllllll wake up. Big smile here.
xoxoxo, Jeanne

Vee said...

What a beautiful ride! Californians are so sensible about having ocean views. The color of that water is amazing.

Oh, congrats to your winner. I hope that she loves working with the program.

Carol said...

Fabulous trip! I wouldn't know which way to look first, homes or coast :) Gorgeous shots, pat, I love that first one.

From the Kitchen said...

I loved seeing and reading your post this morning. We purchased our first home in La Jolla. What a delightful climate. We had poinsettias growing in the courtyard and bougainvillea spilling over trellis. Both of our boys were born at Scripp's Hospital. What a lovely nostalgia trip you provided me.

Congratulations to Jeanie.

Best,
Bonnie

Claudia said...

I think my heart skipped a few beats as I gazed upon the Pacific. One can never tire of its beauty. It's been a long time since I was there. Might have to rectify that.

Donna said...

Reminds me of our trip to San Francisco. I love California! Beautiful photos, Pat.

ellen b. said...

La Jolla is quite a gem along the coast. Beautiful photos! Looking forward to more of your trip.

My name is Riet said...

Beautiful photo's of California and its coast Pat. Beautiful seals.That is such a beautiful trip and this is another memory for me as we have done this 30 years ago in a camper. I stil remember the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other side of the road. Beautiful. We went from the warmth from Reno to the cold of SanFransisco to the warmth of LA .We had wonderful month and we still talk about it sometimes.
Thanks for the memorie
Congratulations to Jeanne for winning your give away.
Riet

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Oh those goofy seals and their "Friends". The seals have taken over the beaches and especially the beach that had a breakwater built to make it safe for children's swimming. The friends of the seals decided that the basking seals must never be disturbed. Once a swimmer happened to walk out of the water at that particular beach and the seals were "startled so badly" that they headed back out into the water.

Like, don't seals usually head into the water to catch their dinners anyway?

It has been a real fight between seal rights vs human rights in La Jolla. May I just add that the seals don't use the restrooms, and the stench is often smelled from quite a distance.

Willow said...

I am privileged to live near Hwy 1 and drive the section between Santa Barbara and Santa Monica regularly. I'm not sure I could choose my favorite few miles, but San Juan Capistrano through Camp Pendleton is high on the list.

Ah those seals...they have a deal!

Sheila said...

The Pacific Coast highway is a wonderful trip to take. I'll never forget the beauty of the sand dunes and rocky points. It's great to be able to tag along with you once again!

Ebie said...

A beautiful day for this trip. The skies and road so clear and fantastic views!

That's a beautiful collage of the software.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I've only been to La Jolla once and it was memorable! What a pretty area and you captured it so well in your photos.

Congrats to your winner!

Yvette said...

Oh to be driving up that coast...! So beautiful, Pat. Thanks for posting all these wonderful pix.

I visited Carmel and drove down the Big Sur coastline once a hundred years ago (or so it seems). California is just a gorgeous state - north and south. :)

Betty said...

That is a beautiful area. It's hard to imagine the ocean on one side and hills on the other. When my family was in San Diego this past summer all they did was complain about how tired they got walking on the hills. We're used to perfectly flat here.

Esther Joy said...

We've traveled in that area a l-o-n-g time ago, and it was nice to revisit it with your photos!

Tanna said...

Oh, there is just no blue like the California blue!! Gorgeous photos, Pat! I do love Hwy. 1!! Looking forward to seeing more!! blessings ~ tanna

Maxwell Mead Williams Robinson Barry said...

blue water is beautiful,

glad to see you share a lovely trip.
:)

Dreaming said...

Hi, I'm coming by for AlphabeThursday and I loved your photos. I've been on small pieces of Hwy 1, mostly near Santa Barbara, but never the length of the trip you took.
What beautiful scenery.

Annesphamily said...

Wow! These photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing Pat!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

I so enjoy these left coast photos, Pat!

Congratulations to Jeanne!

Gracie said...

I want more, yes! La Jolla was cited in so many books and so many movies, I'm glad to finally have the opportunity to see it with tourist's eyes, thanks to you!

Jenny said...

Congratulations to your winner! I bet she is smiling away!

And what a drive! That area of California is so magnificent! Thanks for letting me tag along. Sorry I spilled my soda in your back seat, though.

Vittle me this... said...

hey pat! Those pics were great and am glad to hear you are back in the city!

I am going to this foodie event Saturday in the E. Village and you have to come! Check out my blog and I will make sure you win a ticket.

Hope to see you Saturday!

GailO said...

I would certainly have a neck ache at the end of the journey from swiveling my head left to right so as not to miss a thing! Gorgeous photos as usual Pat!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Hi Pat, I'm excited to see my beautiful California coastline through the lens of your camera! I know these La Jolla views very well. I'm glad the skies were sunny for your trip. Looking forward to more photos in your next posts.

Susan Anderson said...

We often take that route when we visit our relatives in So Cal (we live in the northern part of California), and you captured some wonderful photos!

We will be going there for Thanksgiving, though we stop about an hour short of San Diego.

=)

Unknown said...

I have visited that part of the world. It is so pretty.

21 Wits said...

Oh my gosh, I was in La Jolla just last week. First went throguh there on the Coaster, a fun way to see the coast...and a few days later we drove through there, not on such a sunny day, it was rainy and windy (Last Friday) but what a great refreshing sight to see this post! Thanks so much!

Judie said...

The first time we drove the PCH, I seriously went into visual overload. All that beauty! Your photos are wonderful, Pat.

genie said...

What an awesome drive. I do not think we would not make any time because I would be constantly making Buddy stop the car. That shoreline is to die for. Love the seals. There is a little bit of everything to see. genie

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Is this a surf beach, my 15 year old son has suddenly become crazy about surfing, and the surfing beaches are 45 minutes away. We asked him to try windsurfing which is just down the road.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Is this a surf beach, my 15 year old son has suddenly become crazy about surfing, and the surfing beaches are 45 minutes away. We asked him to try windsurfing which is just down the road.

melvin said...

Hello, have a great week-end.
Melvin

Cheryl D. said...

I love La Jolla! It's so beautiful!

Pondside said...

No wonder California has always been such a mecca - it is astonishingly beautiful!

anitamombanita said...

I figure anything on the CA coastline qualifies simply for its Beauty, no?!

I missed the posting deadline for Alphabe-Thursday this week...feel free to stop by, tho... :)