On this post.. a meander through Santa Cruz’s West Cliff trail and homes, plus swimsuits I love, and a great California travel book.
It’s time again for the weekend meander with Juliet and Elizabeth. I hope you had a good week.
Thursday I had a few lovely gals over for a friend’s birthday happy hour. I forgot how nice it is to have people over. To make it simple, I just ordered pizza and made a salad.. We bought cupcakes and it was just so easy and fun. I am loving my outdoor table. I totally forgot to take pictures once I finished the table setting. This was before…
I later added a runner for color and changed to a brighter napkin. I use my regular dishes outside. I recently found the cute rattan glasses by Tommy Bahama at Homegoods. I don’t see them anywhere else online, but check your local TJs. These make cute votives too!
On Wednesday, Max was fortunate to get Juneteenth off. I love that we now have this federal holiday and many people took this whole week off as our neighborhood is pretty empty. We have to thank Opal Lee, who walked all the way from Texas to Washington to get June 19th to become a federal holiday.
West Cliff Walk and lunch
Since we had an unusual weekday off, we took a drive to the Santa Cruz and thought we’d walk and grab lunch. We hadn’t been on West Cliff Drive since part of it has fallen into the ocean from the past winter’s storms. A large part is still closed. They are still trying to figure out whether to turn it to pedestrian and bikes only or just one lane of traffic. In the mean time, the few houses that are there cannot drive their cars to it, and you must take a detour through the neighborhoods.
For someone walking West Cliff you notice the north side of it is now very quiet with the road closed. We parked near Natural Bridges State Park, and walked south on the seaside path. It was a beautiful day.
One of the only homes on the ocean side of the road had recently sold and was being renovated. The landscape and design were very pretty. They literally are perched on the edge of the ocean…
Santa Cruz has some of the coolest cottages and homes. As you would expect, people who live there and those that have weekend places, appreciate unique colors, design and a lot of natural landscaping. Some are quite hippy, but given the cost of real estate, few of those are left. Still it’s fun to see homes up close and the details you would miss in a car like these…
As you can see, things grow amazingly well in Santa Cruz with their sun and moist air. We found a pretty long park that goes east-west through many blocks of the neighborhoods and walked through that and back to the car.
If you want to do the whole three mile walk, you just follow the detour south and you will end near the tiny Santa Cruz Surf Museum and Cowell’s Beach. There is a Catholic Church that has a popular little coffee and pastry spot called Shrine with a pretty terrace, right across from the museum. ( That is the second church I know of in Santa Cruz running a coffee spot!) You can also keep walking to Santa Cruz and you’ll hit the boardwalk.
We decided to drive into downtown Santa Cruz and it was the perfect weather to grab a sandwich a Zoccoli’s Italian Deli. I love their grilled eggplant sandwich, that I cannot find anywhere else. Max got some sort of egg salad. The bonus is that they have the yummy chips from San Louis Obispo too. We sat outside in the sun and people and dog watched…
Afterwards, we walked the street and visited my favorite bookstore, Bookshop Santa Cruz. I came home with four new books and loads more on my read list. This shop has more diverse books than anyplace, and also a good amount of pre-loved books. I like the mix. They also carry a fun paper section with unique cards, gifts and Santa Cruz souvenirs. Don’t miss the ‘Banned Book’ section with the descriptions by staff and why you need read them. My kids’ favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, was on there!
I love that the Bookshop is a small family business since 1966. I don’t know about you guys, but independent bookstores are my happy place and I try to spend a little money in them whenever I can, so they stay open!
Places We Swim- California
The best part about being in a physical bookshop is the ability to browse and wander, and find books you would never be recommended online. Places We Swim, was such a book. This book highlights spots to swim all over our gorgeous state, from beautiful natural swimming spots, to special pools. This book is packed with wonderful photography, roadtrip suggestions, facts and history, places to stay or camp, and even what native tribal land each spot once was.
Samples from the Amazon link..
You can buy it at the bookshop ( highly recommend a trip there) or Amazon. This book is a must for the California lover, road tripper or camper!
On My Radar.. Swim
I’m going on a short holiday soon and I needed a new swimsuits. J. Crew has been my reliable go-to for them and it came through for me this year too. I ordered three new ones and expected to hopefully keep one. Unbelievably, all three looked shockingly okay and as they were on sale, I kept them all! It is work to find flattering suits with support and coverage that don’t scream old lady, and these all feel chic and fit well. What I bought below…
Red is not my usual pick, but I took a chance and I ended up loving this Venetian Red suit so much. It’s actually more of a lipstick red that is flattering and not too bright. Perfect with my French Connection striped sweater ! It looks very Nantucket or preppy and I love it.
This sienna color suit with a chic square neckline is so 90’s . I ordered it knowing it wouldn’t have as much support as the others, but it isn’t too bad and actually sort of flattering and covers more than the model shows on the backside for me.
I fell in love with this ruffled one shoulder black suit. It’s girly and can do double duty paired with linen pants or cute shorts.
Cute and new since ordering mine -are this polka dot suit with ruched sides, and this navy suit with white piping.
For sizing, know that these suits are roomy. I got size 8 in all three and I am 5’4 and about 135. In other suits I am more usually a 10.
Woman in Charge -The new Diane Von Furstenberg Documentary
I am very excited to watch this new documentary on Diane and her life. More than almost anyone, Diane inspires us to live authentically, radically, and unapologetically. She talks frankly about her early years, her struggles in business and life, and how she loves herself as she is. We all need to watch this! It’s streaming on HULU starting June 24th.
On the last weekend post, a great hike and picnic spot in San Francisco, the best water bottle, my summer hair and skin go-tos, and a great department store house brand.
Happy Weekend !
Kim
Please stop by Juliet and Elizabeth’s blogs for more fun weekend things..
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
PINECONES AND ACORNS
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Good morning Kim! Happy Weekend to you! It sounds like a wonderful week celebrating with friends and an adventurous day off for Juneteenth day. Opal Lee was indeed an amazing woman. You are so right,
Your birthday happy hour sounds lovely and looks beautiful.
I love all of your walks, they are all so different and there is something interesting to see in each place. The flowers look beautiful, so many different variety. And the houses are charming. As for the Catholic Churches with cafe, that is a wonderful idea. Many churches sit closed up all week, I think it is a wonderful way to create community, earn money for their charities and to use the buildings. Many libraries around the world are doing this as well, to bring in patrons and create community.
Small indépendant bookshops are magical! I agree, support them whenever you can.
Your new book and swimsuits are beautiful! I am sure that you look amazing! Thank you for the honest review, they are always helpful and as you mentioned, swimsuits are a challenging piece to buy.
Have a wonderful weekend Kim.
xo
Elizabeth, I know the churches all have these amazing properties, so why not use them for good? Hopefully the money is going to their charities. I love the library cafes too! Mixes two of my favorite things.
Hope you have a great weekend! xo
Hi Kim — Your blog posts are always such a fun read. With all I have had going on, I have missed a few. I need to catch up! That is scary about the areas of Santa Cruz dropping into the ocean. After the winter storms in Maine, that kind of danger hits closer to home. Love the swimsuits you ordered. I still wear a frumpy skirted tankini. Maybe I should upgrade… What fun and unusual book you found browsing that independent book store. Have a great week! I am headed to last week’s post!
Thanks Molly! I know hard to believe about the cliffs falling in. These swimsuits look great- especially the one shoulder numbers! x
Great post as usual! As I child , my family had a weekend getaway in Galveston so Juneteenth has a special meaning to me. Today, I am registering voters in our town’s Juneteenth celebration. I feel privileged to participate.
Thanks for the tip on the swim suits! I love the black ruffled one!
I have so many books but don’t have much time to read anymore! My favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it many years ago but it had a profound effect on my life.
Have a great , sunny weekend!
Thanks so much Marcia! Wonderful you got to Galveston. I bet the Juneteenth celebrations were very special there!!
The black ruffled one is super cute on and comfy too. I love to Kill a Mockingbird too.
Happy weeekend!
Hi Kim,
How very nice you had a few of your lovely friends over for birthday and happy hour. I like what you served, that was perfect. Keep things simple and stress free as much as possible. Just getting the table set the way you had envisioned takes time and all the cleaning up before hand. The gorgeous blue Hydrangeas, wow I have never seen a color quite like that. Cute rattan glasses, add professional shopper to your title.
Thanks for taking us with you and Max to Santa Cruz . Everything you shared brought smiles and for awhile it melted my heart because of being terribly home sick. YES, wonderful a great independent bookstore still standing. Great book you found. Having a home close to the ocean and on the edge of cliffs is frightening. No surprise what is happening. Hope everyone stays safe.
I think I’m out of touch on what Opal Lee did, over the top impressive. A HUGE thank you. A lady that has MOXIE plus and driven by her passion. So much respect, and honor to Opal.
Swimsuits, you nailed it, you were lucky to have them work. The black one with the ruffles is feminine. Such a challenging item to buy along with jeans.
I so relate to Diane Von Furstenberg . Her story is moving, her family. I like everything about her. She is direct and honest, I find that quality in a person refreshing. I loved my wrap dress, I always felt feminine in it. I donated mine, it was like new. I think the person who got it loved it as I did.
Have a lovely weekend. It’s cooled down here some. Still HOT❣️
Aw thank Katherine. I loved those glasses. The hydrangeas were off a new plant I just bought. Still have it in a pot and hoping to get it into the ground.
I know love Opal Lee… What an inspiration and so is Diane! That is so cool you had one of her wrap dresses! I hope the person who has it is loving it!
Take care of yourself in this heat! xo
Loved reading about your day in Santa Cruz. The neighborhood walk, the lunch, the Independent Book Store–my kind of fun. Thanks for sharing.
Linda, Thanks so much! I feel lucky to have all those nearby!
Hi Kim,
Sounds like you had a good week! Shrine and West Cliff are two of my favorite places to just get away for a little while, I do it all the time. While I don’t agree with the politics of the church I do love their London Fog! Sometimes I just get a craving! I’ll grab one and cross over to the surfer statue and just people/wave watch. I feel pretty lucky I can be there in 15 minutes.
That house on the ocean side of the street has been under renovation for what seems like forever (literally years, there was even an article in the paper about it when they first applied for permits), but Ive never ever seen a human being in or near it. They changed the look a ton, it’s so much more modern, and it’s pretty nice looking. I think they needed to do a lot of reinforcing to the ground in order to try to withstand storm damage. But who really knows what the next storm will do to the cliff beneath it? I hate to think of that place sliding down into the ocean!
Chloe’ told me how happy she was to have run into you and Max on your walk! She said she saw an “instagram worthy” outfit heading her direction and realized right away that it was you!
Your bathing suit selection is really good. That one with the ruffles is super cute. I have two new suits that I bought from one of your links a couple of years ago, and I think I’ve worn one of them, once! I need to get out more. It’s too cold for me at our beaches, I usually bundle up when I head down there!
Hope you have a great week. Enjoy your trip!
Xo Heidi
HI Heidi! I did not know that church was into politics.. I just like their coffee, but it gives me pause. I need to check it out. You are so lucky to live nearby and I always love your beach walks you share. i was thinking that that house sure is in a precarious place..not far from the part that is gone. Not sure if I’d sleep we;; there. Ha the swimsuits don’t really wear out at our ages as fast do they? Plus the J.Crew ones are so nicely made.
Hope you are having a good week! xx
Happy weekend, Kim! Love your casual, elegant table setting for your friend’s lunch. And swooning over your bamboo flatware. It was nice to enjoy the holiday mid-week. Looks like you made better use of it than I did. Santa Cruz is a favorite spot and I haven’t been in a couple of years. You took beautiful snaps and I appreciate your tips and recommendations my next visit. Hopefully soon. I’m love that one-shoulder, ruffled suit from J.Crew and the DVF documentary is in the queue for this week. Can’t wait to see it. Enjoy the weekend. It’s too hot today, but I’m grateful it’s not a prolonged sweltering like so much of the country. xoxo
Hi Juliet! I hope you get to Santa Cruz soon too..I know stay cool. I love the ruffled suit too.x
What a great week. We got to bring Alie and Louisa back with us from L.A. early since she had Juneteenth off also. Always love your swimsuit suggestions!
Hope you girls are having fun! Thanks Mary Ann.. I was lucky with the swimsuits this time . xx
Loved this post! Loved the pics and yes! I love independent bookstores. Your day and walk sounded wonderful!
Thanks so much Jeannie! I know those independent bookstores are such gems!
We don’t live far from you and do the West Cliff walk with our dog to get away from the heat in the summer and the winter too. We usually start at Natural Bridges and return the same way. I’d love where you enter the park you mentioned that runs East-West. Also, this may be dangerous, but they sell those San Luis Obispo taco chips at Lunardi’s;)
Cindy, Isn’t it a great walk? Yes check out the cute park if you can. I did not know they had those taco chips at Lunardi’s! Thank you!