I used to buy t-shirts...

...as souvenirs. Eventually I realized that t-shirts are not flattering to anyone (thank you, "What Not to Wear") and should only be worn to the gym (where I never go). I do allow myself to wear them when I am working in the garden, but I really don't have a garden, so mostly they sit on the shelf in the closet, waiting for the day that I might have a garden once again.

So, this is my latest souvenir!

Yarn, fat quarter fabric assortment and embroidery transfers.

I love exploring fabric and craft shops when we travel. Whenever I find an independent fabric and/or craft store, I always look for things outside the usual inventory that I find at Michael's and Jo-An.

This time, I found Beverly's Fabric & Crafts in Santa Maria, CA. Next door was Betty's Fabrics and next door to that was Betty's Yarn Shop! I got the fabric at Betty's (She had really lovely quilt fabrics as well as other specialty fabrics) and the yarn and embroidery transfers at Beverly's (which was more of a crafting store, but they did have some nice quilt fabrics, too.)

I always admire the fat quarter assortments that I see at quilt shops, but the price per yard, always keeps me from indulging. I am such a bargain hunter, it is hard for me to pay full price for things, and it seems like they are never really 'on sale'. But, as a souvenir, it was easier!

You can't really tell where I have been by looking at them, but they will remind me when I use them!

Where we have been, the past few days, is on a road trip -The Mister and The Mister's youngest Miss - C, and me. When she comes to visit, we always try to go see something that we haven't seen before. It gives us an excuse to get out of town for a few days and helps to make her visit more interesting (we hope...)

This week, we headed to the ocean!

We took a 'three hour tour' around the Channel Islands National Park. We were hoping to see some whales, but they are apparently unreliable this time of year. We did see lots of sea lions, sea otters, and lots of birds.

This is Anacapa Island, the smallest of the chain and the closest to the harbor. Some of the folks on our boat got off to spend the day. It looked pretty desolate to us....

'Naked Ladies' or 'Surprise Lilies'

We also went to Hearst Castle at San Simeon. We took a tour and saw lots of fabulous things. It was the second time there for the Mister and I. There are four different tours and we have taken the first and second. I hope we get the opportunity to go back and see more. I did take lots of photos, but they impress on everyone that they are NOT TO BE PUBLISHED!! Mine really don't show the full splendor of the place, anyway. These surprise lilies were blooming in a field at the old village of San Simeon. I love surprise lilies!

The Mister and me at the W.R. Hearst State Beach

It was nice to get out of the furnace and spend some time near the ocean!