POPPIES WILL PUT THEM TO SLEEP….Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz.

No, in fact the poppies did not put us to sleep because it was just too darn cold. As April temperatures lingered around the mid-thirties, our venture into the high desert to see the poppy fields was truly exhilarating. With an early arrival just as the frost was starting to dissipate, the poppies were closed up tight but a hint of orange did cover the hillside. Getting started on our walk was NO problem as we needed to get moving to get warm. Once we had a few miles done, the sun made its way through a light cloud cover and the poppies opened up warming us up.

By 9:30, bright orange smiles were greeting us from all around and other wildflowers (some with very provocative names) joined in the show. Unfortunately, the word was out and as we meandered along the pathways, taking pictures from all angles, we noticed hordes of people descending upon the once vacant trails. We’d been warned about the popularity of the poppy fields this year and as throngs of phone wielding visitors appeared, we disappeared…into our cars and on the road to the restaurant.

Laurie had picked a unique place – The Vincent Hill Station, an old train depot complete with some rail relics in the back for Carol and Barbara to take pictures for their husbands. Arriving a bit before they opened, we had time to ascertain that Lynne’s tire had indeed picked up a nail and made a plan to fill up on air for our journey home. As the clock ticked over to 11 am, we were seated in a rather cool back room to enjoy a very delicious lunch. However, this time, hot Bailey’s and coffee was the drink of choice. It was just a bit cold for the usual Bloody Mary’s.  But we muddled through, enjoyed the food and were glad to be inside away from the very cold wind. We were also glad to welcome Barbara’s daughter Anna on her first walk with all the old gals. 🙂 It was a great day enjoying one of California’s Gold treasures – Huell Howser would be proud.

And that’s the end….

An impromptu hike in March to see the wildflowers in Santiago Canyon was organized by Carolyn and turned out to a wonderful day filled with sunshine and a colorful palette provided by Mother Nature. The walk, which we had done before, took on a whole new life as everywhere we looked was bursting with green and brilliant color. The mustard weed along the pathways was as tall as we were and along the ground were brilliant purple lupine, billowing grasses and flowers just calling to be photographed. The landscape of rolling green hills could be mistaken for Ireland rather than Anaheim. We were accompanied by the energetic and adorable Sadie whose energy kept us going up some long stretches of hills, when most of us were hoping to be on our way down.

After passing on an expected two hour wait at the Reunion Restaurant, where they weren’t going to allow our four footed team member to join us, we popped in at Burgers and Brew, just on the opposite side of the shopping area. What a great find. First of all, it had ice cold brew on tap, tasty sandwiches and most importantly, Connor Simpson (a family friend) to serve it up. And, they took great care of Sadie, bringing out her very own bone shaped water bowl.

Meeting up at the Commons in Calabasas for our February walk, we started through Laurie’s home turf by driving back to her home and starting our route in her own neighborhood. She led us up a pretty challenging hill, which she promised was the only one! It was a beautiful day and fun to meander through the neighborhoods with so many yards just beginning their blooms. The rains had made everything so lush and full of colorful promise. After about five miles, we ended up at the Calabasas Farmer’s Market – a charming collection of small proprietors for us to survey and lots of fresh fruit to taste.

One of the booths was selling products from the goat and cheese farm that we visited on our trip to Napa Valley before our San Francisco walk in 2016. Once our bags were filled to the brims, we landed at the Peddler’s Fork for breakfast or lunch, whichever we preferred. Chicken and waffles, fried egg sandwiches, Bloody Mary’s and some excellent chiliquelles filled the table and everyone left the restaurant carrying their treasures full and satisfied.

It was a short walk back to the Commons, where our cars were ready to take us home. Another well-planned, much enjoyed Pink Bragade adventure complete!

When we are stuck on the freeway, packed into a shopping mall or waiting on the phone to get tickets to a sold out play, we need to remember days like Sunday when we all felt lucky for living where we live. For this, we have the hills of Crystal Cove to thank. What a gloriously beautiful day and the views! From the top of the hill spanning the coastline to down below as we walked along the sandy beach splattered with rocks, shells and various sea creatures that had washed ashore or were lurking in the tide pools. It was all about the Coast! Our first walk since the holidays, some of us had to shake the cobwebs out of our shoes, but it was worth it. We walked a mile up the hill, then made our way down to the beach – braving a somewhat flooded pedestrian tunnel that took us under PCH. It was our first real “beach walk” (we should have taken off our tennies and let the sand between our toes) and it was relaxing, refreshing and revitalizing. Followed up by a lunch at the Coliseum Pool & Grill in nearby Pelican Hill resort. The restaurant, with its french doors open to views over the circular pool surrounded by palm trees, made us feel like we were on vacation in a seaside resort – which we were in a sense. And, for the icing on the cake, the gal at the Bloody Mary bar delivered up some amazing Bloody Mary’s to the delight of our Pink Bragade test team.

In November (a bit late on posting this one), some of the Pink Bragade team enjoyed a beautiful, crisp winter morning, complete with scattered showers for a walk through Beverly Hills, orchestrated by Karen. It was as idyllic as Hollywood portrays it. Sprawling mansions and expertly manicured lawns provided the scenery for the first half of the walk. The second portion was a wonderland of ways to spend a million dollars as we breezed through the streets of Rodeo Drive. We also passed through a local farmer’s market – taste tested some amazing toffee – and ogled over some cute little baby barn animals. It took Wendy a little longer than the rest of us to leave the baby goats behind. The pinnacle of the morning was our luxurious and leisurely  breakfast on the patio of the Peninsula Hotel. Welcomed by the friendly and very accommodating wait staff, we enjoyed spectacular food and some of the best bloody mary’s to date. Thanks Karen for another great PB adventure.

In October, the Culture Club took advantage of a great deal on tickets to the Van Morrison/Tom Jones concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Though most of us were very familiar with the music of both, it was Tom Jones who wowed us at the event. In his mid-seventies, the man still has an amazing voice and vibrance. Van Morrison wasn’t as spectacular, but his smooth and familiar tunes left us all very glad that we came, despite managing our way through some treacherous LA traffic to get there. (Couldn’t resist this picture of Tom Jones – obviously a bit out of date:) 

Planned weeks in advance, the Pink Bragade was set to be in Joshua Tree for a meteor shower the second week of November – a truly fabulous light show. Strategically leaving early on a Thursday morning nailed us two perfect side-by-side spots for our campsites. Visitors arriving after noon on Thursday, were generally out of luck with all the sites already snapped up. Once settled in, an article in the Joshua Tree newspaper clued us in that we were there on the wrong weekend for the meteor shower, but would instead enjoy the light of a Super Moon. Thursday and Friday we were joined by Cliff, Cucci and Greg and by the end of the weekend, our group was back to six Pink Bragaders and Carolyn’s friend Cindi – lover of Cheeze Whiz. Beautiful weather, excellent conversation, some fun hikes, Mike’s amazing lounge chair, delicious food and the natural beauty that surrounded us, made for an awesome weekend adventure.

Prior to our Whittier walk Karen send out a message that she was looking for a home for Raven, a sweet four year old Doberman who was in her care. Raven had been bred by Karen years ago, had a loving home, but due to a job layoff, the family lost their home and no longer had space for Raven. Karen wanted to keep Raven, but having three dogs was out of the question. So, using the Power of Pink – the word went out and within a few hours, Lynne had found a home for Raven. A home with an older Doberman who was looking for a companion and the “humans” were looking for another four-legged friend. With this happy ending, Raven joined us on walk and afterwards Karen drove to Fullerton to deliver Raven to Sharon and her family.

Raven – smiling and relaxed in her home.

A week into her new life enjoying a run with Sharon.

This photo says it all…the day was absolutely, stunningly beautiful with puffy white clouds laid against a clear blue sky which actually dropped a few sprinkles on us as we made our way along the 4.5 mile pathway in the heart of Whittier. The walking/bike path goes along the old railway right-of-way and had historical stops along the way with signage that highlights the history of Whittier and the region. Additional stops featured workout equipment – we didn’t spend a lot of time on those! Logging in just under 10 miles on the round trip, six of us were joined by a canine guest walker – Raven, Karen’s doberman who held her own for the full walk, until the heat and miles took their toll and she was ready to be done. So glad she joined us!

Along the way, we met Mr. Ceniseros – owner and builder at Rancho Ceniseros – who was constructing a very eceltic tree house – which he called his “doghouse.” He thought, as women, we would get the humor in that.:) We got a picture of his dog June – who really looked like she was in the doghouse. As we passed by his unique gate and other ornaments, we noticed the two banners hanging in honor of his sons who are currently serving our country….one as a Navy Seal. Lynne made sure he knew that we were grateful for their service.

Have a look at the photos from the day.

For lunch Leanne found Bailey Street Kitchen in the heart of uptown Whittier. We drove there through the beautiful tree lined streets of what has become a quaint little town. When Leanne saw the location of the restaurant, she was flooded with memories of a previous restaurant which she had frequented with her in-laws, which was now home to Bailey’s. Small world. Despite service that left a bit to be desired, the food was good and and as always, we had a nice relaxing breakfast/lunch.

And thank you to Lisa, and Greg, for giving us a test drive in Greg’s new “cinnamon flavored” Suburu Outback. Let’s hope the carwash took off all the sap! :0

A small but dedicated group of Pink Bragade walkers hit the Strand on Sunday, September 25th for a 10-mile walk enjoying the cool ocean breezes that those inland were missing. This is a walk we have done many times before and is always a great location for days when the temperature rises beyond what’s comfortable for any kind of excursion. Paula’s friend, Jessica, joined the group for the first time and we hope we will see her for future walks. Captain Kid’s – a well-loved fish shop and eatery – was the site selected for lunch and it turned out to be a perfect place with super fresh seafood ordered up custom for every member of the team. Laurie, who planned the walk, commented on the fact that the time (and miles) seemed to go by so fast. Maybe something to do with the fact that we’ve gotten used to 12-15 miles as our regular walking routine. Next walk is set for October 16, we are back to walking monthly – just to keep in shape, have some fun, keep in touch and find unique So Cal spots to enjoy some great food and drink.