New Years Eve

JWise Photo of the Day

Two bottles of salt water to be used as the salt water flush for the Master Cleanse

How did you start New Year’s Eve? Well let me tell you from a party expert, we started it with a Salt Water Flush. Caroline and I began the Master Cleanse Fast on this last day of the year. Turns out the fast is fairly easy to get through, drinking 32 ounces of warm salt water and having it plow through you, taking your tonsils to the nether regions of your anatomy, and evacuating them via a spout you never knew worked like that is an experience that will define your New Year. But the truly fun part is that we might do this for 10 days. Oh wait, I forgot to tell you, before bed, we drink a laxative tea for extra explosive discharge action – weeee.

Solvang

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Village Spinning & Weaving in Solvang, California

On the way back to Arizona today, we detoured north to the Danish Village of Solvang for a stop at the Village Spinning & Weaving Shop. Caroline wanted to visit the shop where a few of her birthday gifts had come from and pick up a couple of things. One thing led to another, and soon Caroline had many things she was going to buy. Lucky for her, her godmother Helga Hennemann had sent over a crisp new $100 bill that helped with the splurge for more stuff. We left with more books about dying, knitting lace, making socks, and some new sock yarn. All this shopping made me hungry, and as I hadn’t been to a smorgasbord in 30 years, we stopped at the Red Viking Restaurant on Copenhagen Drive and had lunch. Not too full, a stop next door at Solvang Restaurant for Arne’s Famous Aebleskivers – ball-shaped pancakes topped with raspberry jam and powdered sugar.

Village Spinning & Weaving in Solvang, California

The shop is fantastic, well, if you are into this sort of thing, as there are a hundred different little corners to peak at. You’ll find fibers of all kinds, some beautiful yarns, and books about every subject regarding this craft you might imagine; as a matter of fact, we picked up a mushroom dyeing book that has been long out of print from the woman who perfected the method. Solvang, California, makes for a great day trip if you are in Los Angeles, unfortunately, Caroline and I have never taken more than a few minutes here, and on this visit, we stayed all of two hours. Maybe on a warmer, windy day, we can come back and do a lot more exploring.

Christmas on the Ocean 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise on the shoreline of the Pacific ocean in Santa Barbara, California

A year ago, on this day, Caroline and her mother stood on a beach just a few miles south of here. Shoes off, standing in the water, Christmas day. In less than a month, Caroline’s mom will return but it won’t be until February that she has the opportunity to stand in the Pacific again. So this year, it was just my wife and I wandering along the tide pools looking for starfish, anemones, crabs, and shells. Not a bad way to enjoy Christmas Day.

Santa Barbara, California

Years after posting the above text, I was working on something and decided to add a few more images to this post, as when I was creating this post back in 2007 (it is currently 2022), we couldn’t afford to include so many photos.

Santa Barbara, California

The resolution of our old photos isn’t always very good, but they still managed to capture our time.

Santa Barbara, California

It isn’t always only the sea that grabs our attention but also those things close to shore and often just walked over.

Santa Barbara, California

Besides eating too much on our visits to California, maybe we visit the ocean too often. After all, we have seen thousands of starfish, anemones, and shorebirds. Honestly, though, we never tire of visiting the Pacific. Nor do we tire of visiting Disneyland, which is due for a visit early in January. Tickets are already in hand.