Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rancho Los Alamitos, Long Beach, California, USA

October 10, 2025 A few weeks ago we visited Rancho Los Cerritos, which is near to our house. Also nearby is Rancho Los Alamitos, one of the other five ranchos formed when the Rancho Los Nieto, which had been awarded to Manuel Nieto in 1784, was split among his heirs after his death. So weContinue reading “Rancho Los Alamitos, Long Beach, California, USA”

Bixby Knolls, Long Beach, California, USA

October 6, 2025 In the early 1940s, Long Beach experienced a surge in defense-related employment, notably with the establishment of the Douglas Aircraft Company at Long Beach Municipal Airport in 1940. This facility became a key production center for military aircraft during World War II. The influx of workers necessitated the development of new housingContinue reading “Bixby Knolls, Long Beach, California, USA”

Solvang / Cold Spring Tavern, California, USA

September 27, 2025 Out in the middle of California is a little bit of Denmark. Between 1865 and 1914, 300,000 Danes immigrated to the United States. Three of those Danes acquired almost 9,000 acres near Santa Barbara and in 1911 they established Solvang (Danish for sunny field). The developers brought in Danish settlers from asContinue reading “Solvang / Cold Spring Tavern, California, USA”

San Luis Obispo, California, USA

September 26, 2015 San Luis Obispo (often known simply as SLO) is a city of about 50,000 and is the home of California Polytechnic State University. It is named after San Luis, Obispo de Talosa (Saint Louis, bishop of Toulouse). Louis (1274-1297) was the second son of King Charles II of Naples, but having beenContinue reading “San Luis Obispo, California, USA”

Central Coast, California, USA

September 25, 2025 After the Spanish style buildings of Santa Barbara, Cambria was decidedly western. In fact, it reminded us quite a lot of Winter Park, the small ski town where we met in Colorado. Our original intent had been to follow the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) all the way up to Carmel, but itContinue reading “Central Coast, California, USA”

Santa Barbara, California, USA

September 24, 2025 Santa Barbara was our first stop on our trip north along the California coast. It is a very pretty city. We started our exploration by walking along the palm lined beach. And then out onto Stearns Wharf. It was originally built in 1872 but facing a number of disasters, including an earthquakeContinue reading “Santa Barbara, California, USA”

California Heights, Long Beach, California, USA

September 22, 2025 Our friend Nick is visiting, so we decided to take him on a walk through the neighborhood where we live. California Heights is Long Beach’s largest historic neighborhood with nearly 1,500 homes built in the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly in Spanish Colonial Revival style. Here is a sampling of some of theContinue reading “California Heights, Long Beach, California, USA”

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach, California, USA

September 11, 2025 On the campus of California State University Long Beach, this pretty Japanese garden was opened in 1981. It has everything you’d expect from a traditional Japanese garden, including a beautiful pond With bridges and viewing platforms It is stocked with over a thousand koi There were also waterfalls and fountains a teaContinue reading “Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach, California, USA”