Oxnard

On our way to Santa Barbara we stopped in Oxnard to visit the de Ocampos who used to be my neighbors in the Philippines.  Lelong Ago (Santi) and Lelang Ibang (Gene) were waiting to see us.  We were eventually joined by their kids, Bobot, Auntie Belen, Steve and Angel.  They brought us to a Vietnamese restaurant to have dinner.  They were very hospitable and kind.  I brought home a lot of plants from Lelang's garden.   Orchids, succulents, seeds of various flowering plants and even kamote cuttings.   Since I'm behind in writing this post, some kamote tops are ready to be harvested.  

It was like being in Abulug again.

College Tour - Day 3,4,5

UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz

Our trip to Santa Cruz was cold.  We dressed ourselves like we were in El Dorado Hills forgetting where we were.   Fortunately during the tour of the university we were shuttled in a bus from place to place although we still had to stand in the cold as the tour guide talked to us.   The place is nice, Shannon likes to imagine herself walking under those evergreens but I think it looks dark and gloomy with all the clouds and fog. 

Santa Barbara looks old but it was there where we got inside one of the dormitories.  They have a model room that is hypothetically furnished.  In this situation I imagine that student have to like their roommates.  

This reminded me of my days in England.  I lived in student hall but the rooms were single occupancy.  I had no roommate - although ten students shared a common bathroom and kitchen area.  We had a cleaner who came once a week to clean our rooms, changed our sheets every other week, scrubbed the bathrooms and cleaned the kitchen.  

Miriam and Brahms racing the waves of the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz

The trip to the bay area also included a sentimental tour.  We visited places where Tim's parents used to bring him as a kid - Sunset Beach and Marian's ice cream.   In Gilroy we showed the kids the hospital where Shannon and Brahms were born, in Morgan Hill we showed them the place where Tim and I lived right after we got married.  Then in Fremont we showed Miriam where Shannon attended kindergarten and part of her first grade year in Ardenwood Elementary School.  Then we drove by the first house that used to own on 33775 Shallow Court - so many memories there when Brahms and Shannon were little.  Unlike her siblings, Miriam lived all her life (so far) in El Dorado Hills.  Looking back, we all like our current place.  Thank God for providing us a place that we enjoy.

UC Santa Barbara

UCSB

Daughter and Father

Miriam was using her feet to per her grandparent's new dog.

Father and son.

We had a nice visit with the grandparents George and Barbara in Hollister.  It's hard to believe how their garden have grown.  The house that used to be very  visible could hardly be seen  now.  They have a nice low maintenance garden that features native plants which were chosen to attract butterflies, bees and othr pollinators.  We enjoyed a nice Greek dinner and ended it with berry topped ice cream.

Stanford University

Taking a little break from the tour of Stanford.

We finished the college tour with one concrete conclusion - the universities we toured are all very costly.    In the meantime Shannon will apply to some of these Universities and other ones outside California and pray that she will get admitted and be offered some financial aid of some sort.

Santa Barbara

One of our pit stops during our previous college tour was Goleta, Santa Barbara.  There we stayed at the historic Sexton House.  This hotel, under the name Pacific Suites, was built around an old house which belonged to Joseph and Lucy Sexton.   Joseph Sexton, being a horticulturist, started one of the pioneer nurseries in that area. As a result, the ground around the hotel is botanical garden where every plant is labeled.  Tim and I took a pleasure walk around after we had a nice breakfast.   He got to see how avocados look like before they get to the grocery stores.  Of course no one else would appreciate plants the way I do - because I'm just weird when it comes to plants. 

The original Sexton House

Inside a hotel and very close to the garden.

Poisonous 'Angel Trumpet'

Avocado

Cork Oak

A tropical plant - whose name I do not know.

Overall, it was a nice place to rest after a long day of touring UC Irvine and visiting the de Ocampos in Oxnard and to have a good breakfast the next day.

Irvine

July 20, 2010 - UC Irvine

Shannon looks excited...in the reverse manner.

Brahms and the Anteater, Irvine's mascot.

Magnificent kid and tree!

Anteaters everywhere...

Irvine is big on Computer Science.

Fountains at one of the business parks in Irvine.

Of all the UCs, Irvine has the best gardens and outdoor seating areas.

Obviously someone else had a camera. 

She was also on her own college tour and focusing on the Engineering Department. 

I forgot whi bulding it was.

 

"Ate, dont' go to college!"

We visited Lola Ibang and Lolo Ago in Oxnard.

The De Ocampos and the Durans with Tim.

A road has been named after our family!

We did a self guided tour of UC-Irvine. Physically, it's a very nice university with a huge campus. We were so tired by the time we got done.  The good thing was that the landscaping is great. Again we drove towards the next university but on the way we stopped in Oxnard, California to visit the de Ocampos who used to be my neighbors in the Philippines. Lelong Ago (Santi) and Lelang Ibang (Gene) were waiting to see us. We were eventually joined by their kids, Bobot, Auntie Belen, Steve and Angel. They brought us to a Vietnamese restaurant to have dinner. That was kind of them.  Then we drove to Goleta where we spent the night. 

Bakersfield to San Diego

Since pictures speak louder than words...here is my photo-journal for July 18-19, 2010 during our road trip to Southern California. 

Four thousand wind mills somewhere east of Bakersfield.

In the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Getting closer to civilization as we approached San Diego County.

Embassy Suites - San Diego

She's happy to be out of the car.

Deciding on the type of pie for dessert.

What time is breakfast served?

Relaxing at the University Town Center in La Jolla.

I coersed them to pose with this tree.  :)

Crossing the street in search of a book store.

The Geisel Library in UCSD named after... Dr. Seuss.

Happy after eating at the Currant Restaurant in San Diego.

I want those pots for my garden...if only I have the room for them.

After this picture was taken we traveled to Irvine...UC Irvine.