Wishing for Spring, Gazebos and the Coast!

Originally posted last year  on 1/11/10..I was wishing for spring then too!  I'm linking with Chari's Sunday Favorites..go by and visit everyone's favs!

I know it is only mid - January but I am yearning for spring garden days.  I was browsing through my pictures and found this lovely garden shoppe I visited last year in Pacific Grove.  Hope you enjoy walking through this garden as much as I did.   

Trellis is a lovely garden shoppe  I fell in love with in Pacific Grove, California.  The owner was so gracious and allowed me to photograph her adorable shop that she designed herself .  

She designed a gazebo building and greenhouse to display her beautiful garden themed items.   She even showed me her drawings!   She has exquisite taste, just look at the crystal chandlier  that hangs  in the center of the shoppe.   

Pretty garden and home decor abounds with a mix of elegance and rustic combined.  I love this style and spent hours just combing the place  and purchased  the cutest butterfly napkin rings and garden watering cans.  This watering can fountain was a favorite.  

You are greeted by a happy red variegated geranium in a french wire basket on the open french door.  

Fragrant petunias on a gate gate. 

Outside in the courtyard area are fun garden items and beautiful plants and flowers for sale.  

I love the blue potting bench with herbs and lavender on the shelf.

The greenhouse was a design of a shed that she had the builder add  larger windows and a polycarbonate roof to bring in more light.

More views

I love this window treatment in the shoppe.

I hope you enjoyed this little garden shoppe tour  as much as I am wishing for spring days! 

If you ever visit the area, stop in for a visit at Trellis.  

Fairytales and Flowers

There is a favorite place we love to visit in the winter...

Carmel-by-the Sea...with it's fairytale cottages, abundant blooming flowers and blue pacific vistas, we never want to leave!   Sadly that's not our reality but we are happy to "live" in a fairytale if only for a few days!

The Bluebird Cottage was our  fairytale "home" last week and I adore this charming little place.  It has a dutch door and opens right on to Ocean Ave...two blocks from Carmel Beach and walking distance to

 everything in the village. 

I have shared these window boxes before from a previous trip..so pretty with pink cyclamens in terra cotta pots.

Even in January while we are snowed covered in Oklahoma...Carmel has bloomers everywhere..window boxes and flower beds line the Ocean Avenue shops and inns.  It's a welcome place for a gardener as it will be several months before I see anything blooming in my yard. 

Ivy growing up the posts of a Carmel inn. 

The courtyard garden at the

 Lamp Lighter Inn... the white trellis is so inviting.

Primroses in such bright and happy colors!

Rock-edged flower beds along

Ocean Avenue. 

The Secret Garden Shop...love the arched gate!! 

The garden patio at Casonova Restaurant voted the most romantic in Carmel. 

Additional dining surrounded by gardens. 

A view from the kitchen of the garden.... 

and a week later...

a view from my kitchen into my garden...

 thank goodness for fairytales and flowers!!

I'm linking this week with

Tootsie's  Fertilizer Friday

Cindy's Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

Laurie's Favorite Things Saturday

and Susan's Outdoor Wednesday

Stay safe and warm this week ...we are still getting more snow!

Back from Florida and Computer Crashes

Home sweet home...well I'm back from a long blog break. (My computer crashed over the holidays)  I also spent two weeks in Florida visiting my Mom prior to Christmas and was able to see my son Ryan perform in his college Christmas program.  

 He attends the Baptist College of Florida and will  graduate in May with a degree in Contemporary Worship Music.   He is singing a solo in this picture and he is a gifted songwriter and pianist.   I am so proud he has devoted his gifts and talents to serve our Lord.

   

 It was unusually cold there but I still had a great time seeing my Mom, Ryan  and the beautiful Gulf of Mexico with it's sugar white beaches I grew up with...even though it was most often from the warmth of  the car or the condo!   

 I saw no evidence of the oil slick so please don't hesitate to vacation along the gulf coast if you are considering a trip...they really still do need the business!! 

I took my Mom to enjoy some getaway time in Panama City.  We enjoyed great shopping at the Pier Park Mall across from the beautiful white sandy beach.   

 We loved the condo we stayed at right on St. Andrews Bay.  Spacious 2 bedroom units with a fully equipped kitchen.  I loved the granite counter tops and mosaic backsplash!

The units have been recently redecorated and  the coordinating fabrics of blues and greens were so pretty mixed with the textures of the furnishings.      The dining banquet was roomy and very comfortable for six or more.  

 Even though it was cold outside we enjoyed our "tropical" oasis indoors!  Mom is not as mobile as she would like to be so our unit was handicapped
accessible as well.

We loved the screened-in porch every morning as we started our day with views of the pool and tropical plants that hadn't froze quite yet!

  
We tried several restaurants and the charming exteriors of the restaurants drew us in as well

as the reviews of good food.

One of our favorites was Ernie's in the historic district of St. Andrews (adjacent to Panama City)  This historical home was converted into a restaurant.  The view of the St. Andrews Bay was beautiful and the memorabilia that lined the walls made it an interesting place to visit. 

Very nautical seaside decor. 

 

 

I love this picket fence that had dolphins carved in the fence boards...too cute!

The porch swing and Christmas decorations were so inviting as we approached the entrance.  

I absolutely loved the porch!

 (Taken at Seaside, Florida...another fun place we love to spend time)

Good to be back and hopefully my computer is armed with an even better anti-virus program!

I'll be gone again for a week with my hubbie to his home state of California to see his family and our friends.  I'll be anxious to share pictures from San Francisco, Carmel and Napa and will check out a few places that Cindy from Cindy's Romantic Home has shared with us on her blog.
 Hope you have a lovely week!
 

(Pebble Beach)