Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Visiting Phyllis and Ed in Del Mar, California

Last week we had a wonderful visit with our friends in Del Mar, California, just outside San Diego.
I’ve written about how we all visited the zoo and the art museum.
One morning they brought in these fabulous croissants from the bakery on the corner near their house.

And a delicious cheese board for lunch one day.

Good food and good wine for dinner.
What wonderful hosts we had! We are very grateful to them.

Their home is furnished in craftsman-style chairs and cabinets.

The garden with Ed’s bird watching scope.

The back garden, with mainly native California plants.

Sunset from their dining-room window. They have lived in this house for many years.
Let’s face it, people like us can no longer buy houses with a view like this!

As we were leaving, I took a photo of the front of the house.

Not far from their house is a beautiful area for birding: a lagoon by the ocean. Ed is a committed birder!

A side trip to the nearby Whole Foods where this mural is in the parking garage.

At a diner near their house: a great view of the sea.
And real California orange juice.

The Movies We Watched


Phyllis had a great selection for movies each evening. 
“The Booksellers” (2019) was a very interesting documentary on the New York antiquarian book trade.
My only criticism is that it didn’t mention the recent major impact of eBay and online book selling.

“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (2022): a very creepy Stephen King film. I liked it!

“Awakening in Taos: The Mabel Dodge Luhan Story” (2015): a documentary about Mabel Dodge Luhan, who had a sort of artists and writers colony in Taos in the early twentieth century. I had heard about her in connection with D.H.Lawrence and Georgia O’Keeffe, but learned a lot of new things.

 Blog post © 2023 mae sander


8 comments:

My name is Erika. said...

Seeing friends is always wonderful, especially when they aren't close by neighbors. Their home looks lovely too. Is that an ocean view? Hugs-Erika

Jeanie said...

What lovely hosts and what a beautiful cheese board -- that's a great idea for lunch, especially for people like me who like to nosh on things. Bits and pieces! I have the Booksellers on my Kanopy watch list -- their publicist/relations manager is a friend of mine and spoke highly of it.

Jenn Jilks said...

That looks like a great meal, and a lovely location.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I agree with that impressive view you would no longer be able to buy that mid-century modern home at that location unless you were a very rich individual. They certainly treated you well and the food looked more than a little impressive. Loved the cheese board.

Iris Flavia said...

Wonderful food and house! And such a clever mural!!!
Oh, orange juice! Hmmmm....
"The booksellers" sounds very interesting.

Helen's Book Blog said...

Fantastic visit (love the mural by Whole Foods!) and Phyllis' kitchen/house are wonderful. What a relaxing place to visit.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

It's interesting that you mention Del Mar. on my first visit to San Diego, sometime in the late eighties, I met and birded with two local birders, and one of them, on shaking hands with me, said, "You are meeting a true San Diego original. I was born and still live within a short distance of the Del Mar racetrack." Everyone else I met came from somewhere else and my two closest friends in San Diego originate in New Jersey and Missouri respectively. Interestingly the California original had never seen a Great Scaup and I was able to pick one out of a huge raft of ducks for him. He was impressed!

thecuecard said...

What a beautiful area. They must have some lovely birds in that lagoon.