casual style

Windy day in Santa Barbara

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged casual style / outfits / santa barbara / winter 2025 by

wearing: pink scarf / pink earrings / blue jacket / black tee / jeans (old, also love this pair) / spring nail polish / handbag / sneakers /

We recently took a quick weekend trip to socal and stopped overnight in Santa Barbara. Man, it was windy! Those Santa Ana winds are unforgiving! This was the best photo I could get! When I took a picture with my husband, my hair was flying straight up into the air. It looked like my finger was in a light socket. It was crazy! haha

Downtown Santa Barbara is filled with shops and places to eat. We wandered around and went out to the pier for a few family photos, which were very windblown. For dinner, we enjoyed a beautiful meal at Convivo.

Convivo is an Italian restaurant near the beach. We ate outside and were perfectly protected from the wind. From our table, we were able to watch the sunset. I highly recommend this restaurant! Watch for timing when booking your reservation so you can be there when the sun sets. It’s highly worth it!

We all enjoyed our meals and ordered dessert; of course! This meal was the highlight of our quick overnight stay in Santa Barbara. Loved it!

Hopefully when you visit, it won’t be so windy!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Computer History Museum in Mountain View

 in General Fashion  tagged casual style / outfits / staycation by

pictured: 1st photo: computer advertised in the 1969 Neiman Marcus Christmas Wish Book. It was touted as a way to store recipes. 2nd photo: earrings / pink scarf / black long sleeve tee / nail polish / bucket bag / wide leg jeans / sneakers /

Have you visited the Computer History Museum in Mountain View? I can’t believe this was my first time going! It has been there for years!

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View is much larger than I pictured it to be. It houses the history of technology going back to counting systems. It was fascinating! I enjoyed seeing ancient technology as well as modern day tech, and of course, anything related to the fashion industry! Love that!

As you can see in the first photo, computers were marketed to housewives as far back as 1969. Who knew? Of course, Neiman Marcus would be ahead of the curve, offering the ideal personal home computer for storing recipes! Apparently, it even had a cutting board! Amazing!

Below is a photo of how punch cards were used in textiles to make perfect patterns on a loom. Who knew punch cards were used in the fashion industry? Love that!

Of course, sneakers are always using technology to help athletes perform better. I even wrote a term paper in college about sneaker technology, of course, that had more to do with air, gel and pumps than actually connecting to a computer or device. Apparently, they tried out a version using a chip which connected to your iPod. Is there still a version still around? This was fascinating.

In addition to fashion, there were examples of tech throughout history, as well as gaming. I was a bit wistful when I saw the Atari and Pac Man displays. Those were the days! haha

There is even a section about the dot boom and dot bust at the end of the museum. I was a bit conflicted seeing something I lived through in a museum. Trying to tell myself I am not old, I am not old, I am not old. Yikes!

So, if you are local, or visiting Silicon Valley, this is a must-see! Be sure to head over to Mountain View and visit the Computer History Museum. Loved it!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Winter Wonderland

 in General Fashion  tagged beach / casual style / outfits / staycation / winter 2025 by

wearing: black long sleeve tee / mocha scarf / nail polish / wide leg jeans / bucket bag / sneakers /

Earlier this month we enjoyed a day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It is always fun to go in the winter because the boardwalk is decorated for the holiday season, and it is a lot less crowded than during the summer months. The only drawback is that half of the rides are closed, but we had fun and filled up our day anyway!

The weather was mild and I was able to wear a long sleeve tee with a scarf and leave my sweatshirt in the car. These sneakers were comfy and helped me last throughout the day; and keep up with my kids! haha

We enjoyed the mini golf, which is where this cute little turtle was located. Of course, we indulged in boardwalk food and went on the bumper cars. Fun!

If you are looking for a great pair of wide leg jeans, these are on sale! They also come in standard sizing, plus sizes, petite, and tall sizes. Love that! I am wearing petite.

In case you are local, I highly recommend heading to the boardwalk before the summer crowds! Love!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy