california dreamin' in santa cruz

After months of patiently biding my time while the BF worked on his weekend project with the guys (which finally ended first weekend of August), I practically begged Jules for an out-of-town day trip for just the two of us.  He required little to no convincing and we ended up having a fantastically wonderful day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Swift Street Courtyard.  

chocolate covered bacon = amazeballs

First stop was the Boardwalk, where we spent a great deal of time in the arcade.  I have to admit, I liked the NASCAR racing games, except when we both got royally smoked by a kid who was probably about 8 years old.  Kids these days.  We avoided the deep-fried Twinkies, Oreos, and Hot Dogs On A Stick...but we could not resist the Chocolate Covered Bacon at Marini's!  LB purchased a small bag of these heavenly goodies, along with his favorite gummies.  (Sadly for him, he did not realize that I do not like rollercoasters or any sort of adrenaline-inducing ride, so no Big Dipper for us this time.)    

Bonny Doon pinot noir

We then headed to the Swift Street Courtyard, where our main point of interest was the Bonny Doon tasting room.  It's pretty gorgeous, and they make some lovely wines.  We purchased a couple of bottles of Grenache Blanc, and one each of their Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir.  

cutest lunch bag ever

 Before leaving, Jules let me loose in the shops at Swift Street (I was so excited, I forgot to ask if we could stop by this French Linens place down the street).  I spied a little boutique called Scentsations, owned by a man named Prince and his wife, which carries my all-time-favorite soap - Miel by La Lavande.  It's a light, honey-scented soap that just smells like a dream.  Prince is quite a character – he’s the cutest older gentleman who belongs to a jazz group that performs all around the world, and is happy to tell you about his travels.  I ended up with yet another bar of Miel and a big bag of Milk Bath Salts.

Across the way, at the Cameron Marks boutique, I spotted a French market basket with long leather straps (I own one with short leather handles).  I decided I really didn’t NEED two baskets at the moment, but then started looking at everything else they had to offer.  Funny cards, RBG nail lacquers (organic and non-toxic), jewelry, home décor items by Jonathan Adler, and a table full of old-fashioned kids’ games from France.  I found the perfect lunch bag by 3 Sprouts, appliqued with a purple felt owl – and Jules decided I needed to own it and bought it as a belated birthday present.  How cute is that?  Cameron Marks also has a clothing boutique in a separate space, with gorgeous clothes including Quiksilver's Boutique line - fabulous is all I have to say about that!

Finally, one last stop at Kelly's French Bakery for some pastries and the densest (yet tasty) baguette I have ever had in my life.  You must try their strawberry-rhubarb tartlettes!

It was such a wonderful day, despite the cloud cover.  Until next time, Santa Cruz!