staycation

Natural Bridges State Beach sea arch

 in General Fashion  tagged beach / family / santa cruz / staycation by

Natural Bridges State Beach is a small park in Santa Cruz; just north of the famous boardwalk area. This beach area is a jem if you love both the beach and easy hiking trails. In addition to a clean, sandy beach which is mostly flat and easy to enjoy, there are short trails behind the beach where you can hike before relaxing by the ocean.

In addition to a beautiful beach for relaxing, and hiking trails for a little exercise, there is a very fabulous sea arch! This sea arch is one of three natural bridges left at the beach. Around 1900, there were three arches, the farthest arch collapsed in the early part of the 1900’s. Until 1980, the first arch, which connected the middle arch to the mainland, collapsed in a storm. If you are local, and old enough to remember, you may have seen it! Perhaps it’s in the background of one of your family photos!

Alas, there is only one arch left; so if you are local, or plan to travel to the Santa Cruz area, definitely visit the beach so you can see the beautiful arch in person; before it’s gone too! Unfortunately due to erosion, these sea arches don’t last forever.

So of course, I had to take a touristy photo in front it; just for memories of course 🙂

Our family visited Natural Bridges State Beach over the weekend, and enjoyed a relaxing day by the ocean. We wore sweats, and brought blankets, to stay cozy in the cool, 50 to 60 degree weather. It was a nice day of book reading, and picnicking by the sea.

Sometimes the beach is nice when it’s a cold day; it does not always need to be a sunbathing and swimming type of occasion. Relaxing with the sound of the ocean is a great way to enjoy the coast during the spring and fall months. I love it!

Shop my fall beach day outfit (pants are sold out, linked to similar styles)

Do you enjoy the beach in cooler weather? What are favorite cool weather, beach activities?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

History San Jose

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged family / outfits / san jose / staycation / summer 2020 by

One of San Jose’s best kept secrets is History San Jose park. This mini, historical town features buildings which were saved from demolition, and brought here to recreate San Jose’s early days as an American town.

The buildings all have some sort of special meaning to local history. They were lived in by people who helped settle the area, or they were businesses which were a first in the area. Such as the first candy shop owned by the O’Brien Family pictured below. (apologies for the reflection, I took this photo through the window since the building was closed.)

The park is often used for events, picnics, and corporate parties. Some of the buildings are normally open to the public, and serve as mini-museums which tell their story, and how it fits into local history.

Of course right now, since we are partly shut-down due to the pandemic, only the outdoor areas are open. We will have to go back when things open back up in order to show the kids the inside exhibitions.

History San Jose is a beautiful park to spend some time walking around, and learning about local history. If you are local to the Bay Area, I highly recommend checking it out. There is free parking right in front-but it is limited. So arrive early. Otherwise, there is a fee lot a few feet away from the entrance. If you are traveling to the area, be sure to check it out, and learn about our early days!

Shop my fitness look:

Have you visited History San Jose? What did you think? You can learn more on their website here.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Fun day at the Zoo

 in Travel  tagged family / outfits / san francisco / staycation / summer 2020 by

San Francisco Zoo

Zoo day! We were so excited when we heard the San Francisco Zoo was allowed to re-open. It’s a great place to go with the family; and since it is outdoors, it is very safe.

The SF Zoo has tons of safety protocols in place, which made it a fun, relaxing way to get out of the house while staying safe.

The Zoo now offers online reservations so they can limit how many people enter the zoo at one time. This is great because it leaves a lot of space between visitors. I felt like I was taking a VIP tour of the zoo! You know I love me some VIP treatment!

In addition to spaced out visitors and easy reservations, everyone wears a mask. The zoo also roped off high touch areas in order to remind visitors to visit touchless. We felt really safe, and enjoyed the private walk-through of the zoo. Did I mention we felt like we had VIP treatment? Oh yeah, it was like that.

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We took about three hours to wander through the SF Zoo and visit all the animals. The hippo even came out of the water for us! He started by playing with a giant ball. Then, he splashed and swam around. After he was done swimming, he climbed out of the pool and ate some grass. It was amazing! I have been visiting the San Francisco Zoo since I was a small child, and this was the first time I saw the hippo so active. I guess he was happy to see guests returning to the Zoo to visit him!

Then we saw this guy taking a morning nap on an old keg. I guess he partied a little too hard the night before. LOL

I dressed comfortably for the occasion; knowing I would be doing a lot of walking. I cannot even tell you how amazing it felt to put on an outfit and go somewhere. Let alone wear jeans! Who knew jeans could feel so good?

wearing: mask / blue and gold earrings / black and white top / black handbag / gold chain cuff / gold and blue cuff / black belt / jeans / summer nail polish / white sneakers /

The zebra and I had the same color palette in mind that day.

It was a really fun day at the zoo! If you are local, and are looking for something safe to do, this is your activity! Visit SFZoo.org and book your reservations! If you aren’t local, be sure to visit our zoo when you visit us. It’s a relaxing day outside, and the animals will be excited to have visitors again!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy