Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens, or I'm Back AGAIN

It's been a long long time since I wrote a blog post!  Although we traveled extensively last summer, I really did not feel well, and most of the time just didn't have the energy or desire to write.

I was not seriously sick or anything.  I have Type 2 diabetes, and it finally caught up with me. But in September, I decided to take it seriously and take control of my eating. It has not been easy, but I have had a lot of support and encouragement from both Craig and my friends at our winter home, Jojoba Hills in California. 

I have lost 38 pounds, am exercising every day, and my A1C is now in the normal range and I am no longer considered diabetic. I am still diligently watching everything I eat, keeping a strict log, and weighing in every day. I know I could still lose more weight, but for now I am trying to just maintain and learn to eat mindfully.

With all that said, I am looking forward to some travel next summer, and will try to start blogging again.

                                                                                                          

Today, we did something that we might have happily done on one of our RV trips. We went out for a very nice lunch at a very special place in a nearby town.

Grand Tradition in Fallbrook, California

I went to lunch at the estate with some of the Jojoba ladies in February, and enjoyed it so much I had to take Craig there.

It is a large property that is primarily a wedding venue and conference center.

There is a small but elegant white table cloth restaurant on the long covered veranda, overlooking a beautiful pond. It is only open three days a week. The food was wonderful and the prices were quite reasonable. 

My diet? Since I am very careful every other day, an occasional treat day can be enjoyed without guilt. 

After lunch we took a walk around the pond and explored the garden.

 It was a beautiful, sunny warm day. We have had a lot of cold rainy days this winter, but today it felt like Spring is finally here.

The Compass Garden is not big, but every bit of it is delightfully well groomed.

 

 I love shadows.

So, here I am. Thinner, healthier, and feeling great! Now that the weather is starting to get nicer I am hoping to take some walks, and I might even post about them.  

A Nice Week on South Padre Island

Our week at Isla Blanca on South Padre Island slipped by very quickly and restfully. The weather was sweet, except for one night when we had some pretty strong wind and choose to sleep with the slides pulled in.  (I get the short end of this, as the bedroom slide closes onto my side of the bed.)

One of the days we drove over to Brownsville and visited the Sabal Palm Sanctuary. It is reputed to be a wonderful place to see lots of kinds of birds.  We saw a Great Horned Owl that was nesting in the large palm tree next to the plantation house.  They had a scope set up so people could get a look at her. The restored rooms of the house were also quite elegant and a pleasure to walk through.

There are some lovely trails that wind around the palm forest and have a variety of benches and bird viewing blinds that the birders use.

In many ways it reminded me of some of the lovely places we visited in Florida a couple of years ago. There was even some Spanish Moss in the trees. We kept our walk short to favor my foot, but we recommend it as a nice day trip from the island area.

On another day we drove all the way up the beach to the shipping channel. About 30 miles. And once again enjoyed the sea air and beautiful surf.

Going north we spotted this guy sitting high on a dune, and when we drove back we saw him (or another?) gliding over the waves. There were also a lot of pelicans and other sea birds about. 

Saturday we took a two hour dolphin watch boat ride. (No pictures worth sharing!) And on Sunday we went out for a wonderful brunch at the Beach Side Cafe. 

Life is good!

I think of the many cold Februraries we spent in Wisconsin and am so glad we are not there now. Nor, for that mater, do I wish we were back in our California house. If we were, we would probably be discussing the next fix-up project instead of making plans for a visit to the National Seashore in Corpus Christi.

I am writing this post as we cruise along in the Alfa. I wonder what our spot in Mission TX will look like, and what new experiences we will have.  Good I hope.

Shadows

For 22 years I have enjoyed little light and shadow shows around my house.  The best are in the late autumn months when the sun rides low and the leaves are thinning out on the Maples to the West of the windows.

This fall I started recording a few seconds here and there, and have put together a three minute video.  By capturing the light on video I am able to put it onto a DVD that I can take with me.

I share it here.  Play time is 3:09 minutes: