Sunny Friday

We have been blessed with amazing summer like weather this week (mid 70s and sunny everyday) and I have been soaking it all in. It's been such a great start to this first week of 2012. Happy Friday all.

Mosaics on Cabrillo

Between Cabrillo Boulevard and West Beach lies a wide sidewalk accented with huge mosaic tile art pieces. Their large scale is hard to miss and their artistry is wonderful. We took an afternoon stroll to capture the art in the street.


Syuxtun Story Circle. An ode to the Chumash Indians, this piece details their story.




The sand dollar in the middle is my favorite detail.


Ripple Effect by Richard Irvine. Perfect due to it's proximity to the Pacific Ocean. I like all of the blue tiles.




Working Harbor by Richard Irvine. This piece is close to the SB Harbor. The boat propellers are reminiscent of flowers and I like it :)


Swimmers by Richard Irvine. This is right next to the aquatic center.

I can't even imagine how many tile pieces went into creating each mosaic piece. All designs are amazing.

Yeah but the view from up here is so very very clear

A few Saturdays ago we went to Elings Park in Santa Barbara. I had heard it was a beautiful place to visit and had a few locations for outdoor weddings. So we passed the lower fields to make our way up the mountain. The area we spent the most time in was Singleton Pavilion. It's an open, grassy lawn with a nice gazebo, a few shade trees, and natural stone terraces.

Above you can see the lawn and a path that takes you to the gazebo (in the shade on the right).

There is plenty of space to set out your perfect seating arrangement.

It's a calm place and secluded. Guests would enjoy an intimate ceremony and reception here.

The gazebo would provide shade for the coupe during the ceremony.

I took a photo of a cool looking bush. Beyond it you can see the driveway that leads up to the Singleton Pavilion and the rest of the park. And beyond that are the mountains of Santa Barbara.

This dirt path takes you from the Singleton Pavilion to the parking lot. My shoes got a bit dusty from walking it, one would have to be careful walking through in their white wedding dress.

Another gorgeous view from the top of the mountain.

Because of time constraints we were unable to visit Gordic Grove and the Bluffs, so we'll have to save that for another day. You can check out this wedding from Snippet & Ink that has plenty of photos and detail from a wedding that took place at Gordic Grove.

And here's another great link for wedding resources in SB.

Blog title is from lyrics by Billy Bauer

Away From the City -311

A characteristic very true to Santa Barbara is it's small town feel. While we have big city amenities like universities and big name stores, things seem to be simple, the architecture flows smoothly, and life is quite mellow. The ocean and beaches may be the most attractive of locales, as the Spanish architectural influence is prevalent on plenty of city buildings. SB is like a "get away" and the best place to get away to may be the Bacara Resort and Spa.

Located about 15 miles north of downtown SB, on beautiful bluffs, with amazing ocean views is the Bacara. I have had the opportunity to be pampered twice at their spa, and my love has enjoyed the course at Sandpiper Golf Club. After a spa treatment, we walked the grounds to take everything in. It was a mid-Saturday morning in January, 72 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. The landscaping was clean and green, the paths were tiled, the pools looked amazing (2 levels and cabanas included), and the ocean glistened under the sun.

Most of the photos I took were of the ocean. We walked towards a restaurant that sits on the highest point of the bluffs and enjoyed the view.

The Bacara's glamorous yet understated nature is so perfect for a chic beach wedding/elegant reception. They have ballrooms and patios, outdoor ceremony locations, and their own private beach. Described on their site as having, "Spanish colonial warmth, old Hollywood glamour, new California dreaming" this is my dream wedding location. A perfect get away to be pampered and playful.