California Cool

"I don't mind not being cool."  said no one EVER in California.

As I continue to wait out the bad weather, I am perusing the California Pinterest Boards.  There is one thing I am reminded of when I look at all the pins.  It may have its problems, yet nothing but NOTHING says "Cool" the way California does.

The state's name comes from a Spanish romance novel set on an imaginary paradise island called, California.  The name seems to continue to mean "extraordinary" to this day!  If you want to make something better, brighter, cooler...tag it "California".  It's kind of the Elvis Presley of US States!

Need more convincing?  Consider the following:

Ferrari CALIFORNIA Convertible

1968 CALIFORNIA Special Mustang

Convertible CALIFORNIA Car Beach Cruiser

Baja (CALIFORNIA) Bug

Affordable CALIFORNIA Housing

Disney's CALIFORNIA Adventure

Vans CALIFORNIA

This is probably a good time to mention that while adding the label, California, to tennis shoes, pizza, amusement parks, cars and houses makes them jump multiple points on the Coolness Factor Charts, it also makes them about 300% more expensive than say, Osh Kosh (Wisconsin) clothing.  Because, really, what cool stuff ever came from Wisconsin?  Cheese?  Turns out California has the market on Cool Cheese, too.  Don't believe me?  Check it out...

One last thing to take note of is the California Cool food subculture.  

CALIFORNIA Grilled Cheese

CALIFORNIA Hot Dog

CALIFORNIA Clam Chowder

CALIFORNIA Rolls

CALIFORNIA Eggs Benedict

CALIFORNIA Roll CAT FOOD!!

All of these meals and more have a distinctly California flavor to them.  And by California, I mean "avocado".  And by "Avocado", I mean, "add 2.00 to any menu item".  Just another pitfall of enjoying the special culture that is California.

I have to admit, all this cruising Pinterest is leaving me hungry (literally) for California! I need to work on planning some more.  What is your favorite California Cool?

Gotta Mosey!

Pinterest Travel Fashion Tips

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." ~ Coco Chanel

Generally speaking, when one starts a travel blog, it is good if one, say, travels.  It kind of brings the whole experience of travel to life for blog followers, if the author shares their actual experiences.  Kind of neat how that works.

I travel quite a bit.  And by "quite a bit", I mean; sometimes.  But, in starting this blog, I committed to traveling much more.

But I live in Colorado.

Where it snows.

A lot.

And this year has been punishing.  Usually, where I live, we get snow, but it doesn't impact us much.  Living in the Colorado sunshine 300 days a year means that the snow melts before it can hinder you.  But, this year! Oh boy!  We are still short on snowfall....BUT...every time we get snow this year, it is in the form of a blizzard!  This has put quite a damper on my travel...and my travel blog.

So what is an adventurer to do when she is snowed in?  Glad you asked...

I spend a lot of time of Pinterest.

If you are like me, Pinterest just seemed like a lot of random stuff all in one place.  I didn't really get what to do with it.  It just seemed like something to do while I was stuck in a waiting room somewhere.  But, recently, Butterfly taught me more of the ins and outs of the board pinning site.  Seems I had been doing it wrong all along.  I had tried to use Pinterest practically.  If I saw something I would never use or ever do, I automatically ruled out pinning it.  I only pinned craft ideas for my co-op, recipes I would lose if I wrote them down and shoved them in my kitchen drawer filed them in a hard to reach place, ideas for entertaining and landscape ideas.  (Okay...landscape and yard decorating isn't practical given how I HATE gardening, but I was trying to inspire myself).

Since Butterfly freed me from the bondage of factual common sense, I have a new lease on travel life while I am snowed in!

Since I have thrown in the practicality towel on Pinterest, I decided to extend that mindset to my travel plans as well.  I know the most comfortable clothes to travel in are sweats and tennies, but I have decided that I want something more.  Forget the casual slop of current day travelers!  I intend to travel in style from now on.

Ah, the good ol' days...when flight attendants were stewardesses, airlines still gave you snacks for free and anyone could move about the cabin as they pleased!  But seriously, look at those suits...and I am talking about the women!

You may be thinking that this outfit is really only rational for travel with Dr. Watson on a foggy London escapade.  Agreed.  But, hey, this is Pinterest where anything goes!  I am particularly fond of the green cape and blue gloves, which I TOTALLY do NOT need on a trip to California, which, of course, in a Pinterest world, makes them perfect beach wear for my upcoming excursion!

I am not sure I can really call this outfit retro, as it is a steam punk outfit, which I think is futuristic, if our future never evolved technologically.  So, technically speaking, I think it counts as retro.  Don't quote me.  Anyway, the outfit is superb, and I want to wear it  the next time I go somewhere.  And also speak with a British accent when I do!

Admittedly, there will be some days where I just won't feel like wearing layers of capes and corsets, so I may want to wear something a little more roomy.  Still, I like the retro perspective on travel, so I am thinking this outfit may be my best bet for lazy travel wear days:

The nice thing about this outfit is, I can use the optional cape and backpack if the weather or accommodations turn ugly.

I like all of the above outfits because they have such a sense of flare and flamboyance to them.  But, sometimes, you just want to fit in.  So, this is what I will be wearing when I go to Asia (or San Francisco's Japantown for sushi):

This way, I won't stand out and attract too much attention as an "Ugly American", who is insensitive to the culture I am visiting.

I can't wait to board planes, trains and automobiles in these smart traveling fashions!  They bring a whole new element to vacationing for me!  I am a firm believer the the clothes not only make the person, but the trip, too!  But what about when I reach my destination?

Really, it depends on where one is traveling.  In my case, my soonest upcoming trip is to California.  There are the usual clothing options for beach and warm weather:  shorts, flip-flops, Vans.  But, I found a couple of  inspirational, can't-live-without-while-I'm-in-California items that I am sure you will appreciate, too!

Are these happenin' or what?  Oh yeah, with these babies, I can go right from the plane to swimming in the big, blue Pacific!  No waiting!  No changing!  Especially if I pair them with one of these hot bathing suits, which happen to also be completely appropriate for air travel...and church, for that matter!

Oh wait!  I just remembered, I HATE swimming in the ocean!  There are more sharks there than in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which definitely puts ocean swimming on the banned list for me!  But, I do like the beach...and beach fashion.  So maybe something like these Venice Beach, CA necessities are better for me:

What do you think?  Even though I won't go in the ocean to surf, I can use the board to balance on the super cool tennis shoe skates!  Oh yeah, just call me Malibu Barbie Jill!

And these are just some of the gems I found on Pinterest for my travel planning! You should follow me. I can't wait to share more in the coming days!  Until then, I

Gotta Mosey!

Jilly of Chincoteague

"She's just a piece of wind and sky."  Grandpa Beebe, Misty of Chincoteague

I have three daughters.  And I am a girl, myself.  And if there is one thing I know...girls LOVE horses!  It may not be a love affair that lasts a lifetime, but for at least a few years in their youth, girls would love nothing more than to own and ride a horse of their own.  And brush it's mane.  And braid it.  And curl its tail. And paint its hooves pretty colors.  And put pretty clothes on it.  Horses, to a young girl, is a type of four-footed Barbie...with twice the hair to style!

As girls grow up and their pony interests become keen, well-meaning parents (usually mothers) introduce the works of Marguerite Henry to their daughters.  Henry wrote 59 books based on true stories of horses from all over the world, but the one that most girls start with is Misty of Chincoteague.

Misty is the foal of Phantom, both of who make the swim from Assateague Island in Virginia/Maryland to Chincoteague Island in Virginia.  The Beebe children are determined to buy a pony at auction and raise it.  It is every girls first foray into the addiction that is horses.

For the next couple of years, at least, after reading the book, young ladies will read 58 more works by Henry, buy enough Breyer Horses to start her own virtual horse farm, and beg for horse riding lessons.  And if you cave on that, heaven help you!

I read the Henry books when I was a girl, and while I no longer have a desire to own a horse, I still enjoy riding them, when I get the chance.  But more than riding a domesticated horse, seeing a pony in the wild, the way Henry described, is still something I greatly desire to see.  And that is why my Dream Destination today (and always) is:

The Pony Swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island

The ponies on Assateague Island are believed to descend from ponies that escaped a shipwreck that is believed to have occurred in 1750.  Since then, herds of "beach ponies" have been present on the island.  They are wild, which means no riding or hair styling for them.

However, in 1925, the sorely inadequate Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department held a festival as a fund raiser during the annual swim and were able to modernize their equipment for the department with the money they raised.  Beginning in 1947, the Fire Department on the island began buying and building its own herd.  The fire department, to this day, owns the herd that is swum across the channel and receives the proceeds from the auction of the foals on Chincoteague.

Besides the Pony Swim, Chincoteague also offers other activities.  Most of these involve tours of the island...by foot, by bike or by boat.  I am just thinking there is one mode of transportation that is missing from this list...by HORSE.  Perhaps it is only the fire fighters who are allowed to capitalize on the horses' fame, but it sure seems like it is a natural fit to have horse tours of the island. And profitable.  I do not believe that most visitors to Chincoteague come for the Easter Decoy and Art Festival.  There is a reason that this...

is just not going to drum up as much interest or dollars as this...

I am no rocket scientist, but it seems to me that when an island of 3,000 people sees 40,000 more people every year for a three day event, it might be time to realize that the horses are a big deal.  Of those 40,000 people, probably 40,000 of them are there for the ponies and horse related activities.  They do offer pony rides in an enclosed pen and they have Pony Day Camps, where kids can do everything with a real, live Chincoteague pony...except ride one.  I do not understand the sacred status of the beach pony.  They are hardy animals!  They live off sea grass and semi-fresh pond water and swim the ocean yearly with their babies.  They can surely handle a 70 pound child for an hour or two.  And if the kids can ride, then they just need to have horses available for the adults to accompany them and voila!  Instant two hour, memory-making,  trek for the tourists and year round profitable business for the locals!!  

There are a couple of things to keep in mind if you do go to Chincoteague:

Beware Post Pony Depression

As I said,  I would be content to see these gorgeous beach ponies swim the channel and then see them at auction. Not all people are content with that, so there are other pony offerings on Chincoteague. Visitors can go to the Pony Show and watch the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team strut their stuff.  I just hope I can hear them over the little girls in the audience who are crying because they can't ride "Misty". On a lighter note, one of the other highlights of Chincoteague according to their website is Island Creamery, where they hand make ice cream.  Perhaps that is the real money maker.  The bribe offered all disappointed children on the island.

Deceptive Advertising

If you sign up to ride the Pony Express, be advised...there are no horses involved in this tour.   It is advertised as a trolley that tours the island, but it is not even a trolley.  No horse, no horse-drawn trolley (even Disney has THAT and they don't make a livelihood off horses!), no TROLLEY!  It's a bus.  That looks like a trolley.

But, all of the crying and bribery and disappointment and deceptive advertising isn't going to stand in my way.  I still have the memory of Misty too strongly in my heart to pass up an opportunity to see any of her 80 remaining relatives swim the channel.  I just want to be able to go before my daughters are out of my house and miss the opportunity to realize this dream with me.  After all, we are just horse-loving little girls at heart when it comes to the Ponies of Chincoteague.

So if you have girls...and boys (cuz I am making my boys come along)...don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to make their dream to be a part of an incredible story come true.  And as the Saltwater Cowboys on Chincoteague would say (I think they would say it.  I would say it if I was a Saltwater Cowboy), I

Gotta Mosey.

In the Merry 'Ol Land of Wamego

"We're off to see the Wizard!" ~ Dorothy Gale and Friends in the Wizard of Oz

Welcome to Day 3 of my Dream Destinations Week!  So far, I have set my sights on Graceland in Memphis, TN and the annual Svensk Hyllningsfest in Lindsborg, KS.  And it is beginning to look like fall for the Trendy Travelers is going to be busy with trips to Kansas as, Oztoberfest is coming to Wamego, Kansas at the end of September and who wants to miss that?

The Wizard of Oz has a special place in my heart.  When I was younger, I tried to do as my parents told me and expected of me, but some temptations were far too great for me to overcome.  My mother had some rules that I was not too anxious to break.  If I overstepped the boundaries I am sure there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth...mainly mine.

But, still, there was that one line I was dying to cross!  It beckoned to me every day.  Every. Single. Day.

It started innocently enough.  Usually in summer.  You know how it was.  I was a latchkey kid; home alone all day long in the summer.  By myself.  Left to my own devices.  A child giving into that one big temptation.  I didn't mean for it to happen.  There were those "gateway" sins that came first.

Like.....the Monkees.  They were on at noon every day.  And I watched.  No harm, no foul.  Later, in the day when I was older, I watched All My Children.  Still no issue.  Yet, I was flirting closer and closer to disaster every day I turned on the TV.  Each day, turning on the set a little earlier.  Each day dancing closer to the line of no return.  And then....one day....I did it.  I turned on the TV at 10 in the morning and watched....

THE BRADY BUNCH!!!  

The Bradys were contraband in my house.  My mother had no issue with Gilligan, the Monkees, Bewitched and the rest of the re-run crowd....but the Bradys were completely off limits!  And I have to admit....they never helped my cause.  My mother hated the way Mike and Carol never had to actually discipline the kids. (Secretly, I think it had nothing to do with the kids, I think my mom was jealous that Carol had a full time housekeeper).  I hated how the kids totally repented and obeyed after one small reprimand of, "Now Marsha."  "Now Greg."  But, still....it was just a TV show.  When I started watching what had always been restricted to me, I began to see that the Brady Bunch was really no big deal.  It actually wasn't even that great of a show.   I began to wonder about all those other shows that were forbidden to me.  Maybe they weren't so bad/good either.

Don't get me wrong though.  My Mom loves movies.  Albeit, not the ones I would have liked as a child.  My mom was so excited to share her favorite movie with me when I was six.  My first movie with an intermission!  Just like in the fancy movies!!!  You know why movies have intermissions?  Because they keep you from breaking out in hysterics from boredom.  The movie my mom took me to?  Gone with the Wind.  Which I now can appreciate as  3 hours of cinematic masterpiece....but at six years old, was the most terrible form of torture I could imagine.  I didn't even get popcorn!!!!!  I was hardly old enough to know what Viet Nam was, let alone a war that occurred over a hundred years before!!!  Watching this movie, by the way, subjected me to more cruel and unusual punishment, like Joan Baez music.  For days after we saw Gone with the Wind, my mother would play The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down on her Joan Baez album over and over and over and over again...ad nauseum.  I still break out in a cold sweat when I hear that song.

So, as you can see, I was quite neglected limited in what I was allowed for my viewing pleasure.  While other little girls were curling their hair in sponge rollers and entering Shirley Temple look-alike contests (which, by the way, Cindy Brady did in an episode of the Brady Bunch), I was  reenacting Scarlett's big scene before the much needed intermission...."As God as my witness, I will never be hungry again!" (complete with realistic retching sounds).    While other girls were auditioning in their drama classes with Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I was stuck leading Joan Baez sing-alongs!

There was actually a whole slew of entertainment that I was not allowed to watch. But, the biggest Hollywood taboo in my childhood home was The Wizard of OZ.   My mother HATES The Wizard of Oz, but my father could not wait to share with me and  is now one of my favorite movies. When I was a kid, the Wizard was only on TV once a year during Spring Break.  I was always thankful for the times when it was my Dad's turn to have me during that holiday, so I could watch Dorothy and her friends get over on that icky, green witch.  Something my mom would never allow.

So, the Wizard became this secret rebellion.  Though it was rebellion born out of a fantastic story, incredible music and father-daughter bonding.  It is easy to see why I love that movie for so many reasons.  So, while driving through Kansas, you can also see how I get so excited when the Oz billboards  start popping up on the side of the freeway near Wamego.  Well, I am hoping soon, this will be a Dream Come True Destination!

Wamego has built a livelihood on the Emerald City and its residences.  Much of the town revolves around L.Frank Baum's classic-come-to-life.  From festivals to drinks, to menus and museums, every aspect of Oz seems to be alive and well in Wamego.  

The foundational pillar of Ozness in Wamego has to be the Oz Museum.  According to their website, the museum houses over 2,000 "artifacts" dating back to the book's publishing date of 1900.  The museum houses memorabilia from the 1939 musical starring Judy Garland, as well as items from the 1925 silent film of the same name starring Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodman (who knew?!).  Also available for observation are items from the Diana Ross/Michael Jackson/Bill Cosby movie, The Wiz.  All Oz bases seem to be covered in the Wamego museum.  

After visiting the museum, if you are still trying to forget you are in Kansas...and I have been there, it is a favorite pastime....you can ease on down, ease on down the road to Toto's Tacoz.  Here, you can enjoy all kinds of Fresh-Mex food from a Tin Man Black Bean Burrito, to Munchkin Tacos to a Yellow Brick Burro'd (I am NOT asking if that is a description of the meat used in this dish).  The restaurant offers indoor patio seating, perhaps to avoid tornadoes coming through outdoor patios....?  And also Oz murals to enjoy as you eat.

But, the reason I want to go in the fall is because at the end of  September,  Wamego, Kansas hosts Oztoberfest!  Last year, this event included several dinner theater productions of The Wizard of Oz, a silent auction to benefit the Oz Museum, with items such as a limited edition Oz lamp, special edition DVD sets, signed Ruby Slippers license plates and gift bags signed by special Oz guests.  One of those guests was probably Margaret Pellegrini, who is one of three surviving Munchkins.  According to the Oztoberfest website, she has a great relationship with the Oz community in Wamego and attends this event as health allows.  Wow!  A visit with a real, live Munchkin!  She would be awesome for my Munchkyuens to meet...because I am a nicer mom than my own when it comes to movies...I love the Wizard of Oz!  And so do my kids!  But I digress.  Also available for visitors to Oztoberfest is a 10K Ruby Slipper Run (though, I was disappointed to find out this is just the name of the race and not the required running shoe option), a street fair, a two mile Scarecrow Fun Run, a Yellow Brick Road Bike Ride, a Munchkinland Kid's Play Area and much, much more!  They also have a Sip-and-Stroll for those over 21, with wine and beer tastings...represented by many wineries and breweries, EXCEPT the Oz Winery.  Which is sad, because it would just be fun to see the bottles from Oz Winery.  They have  wines called Ding Dong, the Wine is Red, Witch Gone Good,  Wine of a Different Color and myriad of other labels.  The pictures on the labels are worth having that vendor around!

Last year's Silent Auction Special at  Oztoberfest.  Who wouldn't want THAT conversation piece in their living room?

As you can see, Wamego is completely committed to being Oz.  And helping you enjoy your journey there, as well.  After poking around Wamego's website, you can see why they call themselves "Small Town - BIG Experience".  They remind you to stay in Wamego when visiting because they have over 90 ROOMS available.  One of which, Kahuna and I hope to secure with our Munchkyuens in an upcoming autumn.  

Until then, I

Gotta Mosey!

Valkommen! Ja!

"This doesn't look like Kansas, Toto." ~ Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz

Well, here we are on Day 2 of my Dream Destinations week.  I hope that yesterday's jaunt to Graceland didn't cause you to lose faith in journeying with me.  I know that Graceland is the epitome of gaudy ostentatiousness, but, come on....it's Elvis.

However, for those with more sophisticated tastes, who desire culture and refinement, today's foray may be just the thing to redeem myself!  

Dream Destination #2:  Svensk Hyllningsfest in Lindsborg, Kansas

Lindsborg is a town in Kansas that was settled by Swedish pioneers in 1869.  To say it is a small town is an understatement.  As of 2011, the 1.5 square mile town had just 3,465 residents.  But it is rich in Scandinavian tradition!  And every fall of odd numbered years, Lindsborg hosts Svensk Hyllningsfest - a festival to honor the town's Swedish heritage.  There is traditional folk dancing, music, arts, entertainment, Dala Horses and smorgasbord!  Pure culture.  No kitsch here!

It is my opinion that nothing screams cultural diversity more than a town of 3500 Swedish descendants celebrating their heritage at a traditional Swedish Honoring Festival in the fall.....in KANSAS.  Seriously speaking,  I am sure that our Amer-Asian family will drastically change the town's demographics when we show up, just by increasing the number of brunettes in Lindsborg. But, I am also sure that Lindsborg may be the closest retreat we have to a foreign country and well worth the travel into the flatlands of Kansas.

I look forward to attending the festival in October of this year.  They already have a whole schedule of events for the weekend of the Svensk Hyllningsfest, including, but not limited to smorgasbord, folk dancing, clogging (by a traditional Swedish group from the booming metropolis of Marquette, KS, population 641), folk dancing, arts and crafts, folk dancing, smorgasbord, folk dancing WITH the audience, smorgasbord and folk dancing!  Yes, there'll be swingin', swayin', records playin'...."dansing" in the street!  And food.

And apparently a Dala Horse hunt.  Not to eat.  Just to find.  There are many, many Dalas all over town and so the challenge is to see how many you can find.  Including the City Hall Dala - Fala, the Dala Brick Road.  No joke.  That is the town's most famous Dala Horse!  In Kansas....get it?  Oh those riotous Swedes!

Besides going to Lindsborg for their festival and their obvious sense of wit and whimsy, I would like to visit some of their Top 5 Attractions (which actually lists dozens of attractions, which tells me the Swedes of Lindsborg know how to have a good time...but not how to count).  Fine dining abounds in this quaint village on the prairie, with the #1 offering on Lindsborg's website being Bethany College's cafeteria.  The only pitfall here, besides the fact that it is a school lunch, is that you can only dine here during the school year. If you visit Lindsborg during the summer, you will have to settle for fare from one of the other fine eating establishments, such as Casey's Carryout Pizza.  I wonder if Casey serves that with Lingonberry jam.

Number 2 on the list of attractions in Lingsborg, or Little Sweden as the locals call it, is Coronado Heights.  This winner of one of Kansas' 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography is supposedly a historical and natural delight.  My guess is that it is on the 8 Wonders list because it is Coronado HEIGHTS, which in a state as flat as Kansas, is saying something.

The third attraction list is of art galleries in the town.  After all the dancing and smorgasbording I intend to do in October in Little Sweden, I do not know how much time I will have to observe art, but I am going to be sure to make time to visit Hemsljod, "An Adventure in Swedish Tradition", which made the list of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs list, for it's traditional and pop art Dala Horse Factory!  This gallery also makes the #4 attraction category of Swedish Gift Shops.

And finally on their top 5 attractions list, Lindsborg has many historical buildings and walking tours to offer.  None of which sound as fun a ride on Fala, the Dala Brick Road, or smorgasbord.

As you can see, Lindsborg, is in no shortage of class and culture.  Enjoy the following video so you, too can plan a visit to Little Sweden on the Prairie.

  Let me know what you think in the comments because right now, I 

Jag Maste Mosey!  (Gotta Mosey!)