Sunday, July 10, 2011

a royal visit



early yesterday morning, curiosity getting the best of me, i decided to go have a peek at the polo fields nearby, to see what i could see. how does one prepare when a prince and his wife comes to town?



 first i saw signs prohibiting parking, on each side of the road, at least a quarter of a mile in every direction of the field (the polo field is behind the green hedge). then i counted six horse trailers arriving, i wonder how many horses were brought in altogether? can you see the blue flags in the distance? these are Tiffany & Co., a sponsor of the event.



 a whiz by glimpse of the white tents



 and the security


 there was a lot of security (i was a little nervous to take photos)



 more tents, and the stands are the 'cheap' seats, the four hundred dollar ones



 not my photo, but this is what i saw fly over my house. will and kate are in the small helicopter and the california highway patrol (in the larger one) escorted them from los angeles


 welcome to carpinteria lovely royal couple (not my photo either). feeling a little frustrated that i couldn't get any pictures of the polo grounds (it's gorgeous) or the event i drove away from the mayhem (the media, the satellite dishes, the photographers, the people arriving in droves).

instead of heading back home i thought it might be fun to take some photos of our seaside town. would you like to come along?  we'll drive around, you'll be more comfortable i think, it's foggy and a bit chilly this morning (i hope kate brought her shawl)...


 in carpinteria, in one of the neighborhoods nearest the beach, the streets are named after trees, ash, holly, elm...and the apartments are named with the ocean in mind, driftwood, whitecaps, dunes...
if this were my house i would have to name it too, it's so cute. for photo identification purposes shall we call it blue door?


 and this one, 'grass car park'


 rose arbor


 california cape cod


 banana tree cottage


 beach condos


 victorian on the sand


 modern (on the sand) with a lookout deck


beachclub


 boathouse


old spanish


 ferns


deck


 hiding


 welcoming


community



 and gates, a jumping dolphin


 secret garden


 and an arch


outdoor art


 and a few popular places in town, 'the spot' for burgers is steps from the sand



 esau's for breakfast



oaxaca fresh (these people are up early!)



rincon designs surf shop


 blue pacific is welcoming the british


 nursery


 spa


hardware 

  gallery


 if you were planning to visit carpinteria you might choose to stay here at sunset shores, the ocean is across the road


 or here, at carpinteria shores, where you are on the sand (see the lifeguard tower to the left?)


 or maybe you'd prefer to buy. here is a beachfront property for sale.


perhaps renting a private house is more appealing. this one is right in the middle of town, close to shops and the beach. maybe the royal couple will want to come back (i read wills said his father and brother were green as grass with envy that he got to play at the santa barbara polo club), surely one afternoon was not nearly enough time to discover all the charms this area has.

 these are random photos and only a small representation of this town ( i didn't leave the car for many photos, it felt a little strange shooting homes, i don't think i've ever done this before!)  if you'd like to see more of carpinteria click on the labels, 'where we live, and 'the beach'.




directly over my home they flew, back to los angeles, then on to england. i didn't make it outside in time to photograph the royal helicopter, but it is there, right in front of this escort one. turns out kate didn't need her shawl after all, the fog burned off and it was a spectacular day.

thank you for coming along, i hope it was fun, cheers!

xo lori

19 comments:

  1. What excitement! Love the pics!!!
    I think I could live in Blue Door, Banana Tree or Old Spanish quite easily.
    Beautiful community~~lovely photos!

    XXOO~~
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Lori, I want to visit right now!!! I miss CA, there's something so special about the feel of it, the architecture, the food and the people. Wonderful photos!!! Thank you! Love, Silke

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am still excited from that long walk (we had to stop at every corner, and eat something at every place)! I loved the banana tree (want one!!) and all the roses and plants! I`m sure Kate would have loved to buy that house-for-sale! I would! Oh my Lori, what a lovely day. I am sure all of us (your devoted readers) are also green as grass with envy! Not for not playing Polo (my riding enjoyment lay more in canters over stubble fields) but for your Californian Air. Cheers from here! Our beach is nice, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh I love touring neighborhoods!!
    I adore the quaitness of these photos. I could live in that little victorian or old spanish easily. I also loved the secret garden!

    I'm glad the Royals had a lovely day at the polo club. I can see how folks get hooked on the game now that I've been. It does look like an amazing field!

    That was very thoughtful of you to block out the license plates with "hello" and "bye!" :)

    Thanks for the tour Lori. Have a super week!

    xo
    Lo♥

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love Carpenteria. I have visited many times, including when I was growing up. My next door neighbor would invite me on their summer vacations there (we lived in Lancaster, where it is a good idea to escape the summer heat). I would love any of the cottages or the old Spanish. I'm betting the royals will be back! xo Pam

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lori,

    It was wonderful to see Carpenteria again. I've had many a burger at the spot. And Esau's!
    Have to say carp is looking pretty uptown these days........
    I really liked the continuity of your photos, all from basically the same front angle. Beautiful, clear shots. And a real flavor of the area.
    xx
    julie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lori, I can use all the fun I can get :-), that was fun! I love the royal couple they are so charming and I love where you live. The Banana Tree cottage and the modern house were my favorites. Thank you for the tour!
    Kisses to Owen.
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  8. How exciting! I am so very jealous of the queen to be and to catch a glimpse of them I think I would faint! As for your virtual tour, I could not choose which type of house I would want to live in, they all look amazing. I think it would have to be a painted wooden one though. Such a beautiful place you live xo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for taking us along..I just really wish I could take a peak over the fence at the "Secret Garden".You said you felt strange taking photos of the houses..recently I wanted to take photos of this group singing at the beach, and felt embarressed about it..How do you handle this?Do you ask or just take photos of people on the street?Any tips are greatly appreciated!!Hugs,Cat

    ReplyDelete
  10. We drove through Carpenteria early Sunday morning on our way home from LA. We didn't spend time there not knowing the town. Thank you for the tour, I now know what I missed. It looks like a wonderful place to call home, I would think you feel blessed.

    ReplyDelete
  11. i have rented out the rose arbor house. will you have coffee with me tomorrow morning? i have hot biscuits too...


    kj

    ReplyDelete
  12. well how rivetting and exciting - a royal sighting! espec the young lovelies Wills and Kate. and i loved the tour of your neighbourhood deciding which i would choose - definitely the Rose Arbor, or the Banana Tree, or the Secret Garden, or the Deck -oh now i am confused they are all so lovely and enticing. you live in a beautiful place - it suits you xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. If we're all shopping I like the cottage with the deck and your little nursery looks charming.

    * and your exciting reporting on the royals TOO funny, that took perseverance.

    Thank you for the tour.

    ReplyDelete
  14. hi lori...i love seeing all of this...what a charming town...loved seeing all of the houses....when i was age 12 to 15 we lived in santa barbara so this looked very familiar...

    enjoyed the tour
    sending love,
    kary and teddy
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. that was fun! there is nowhere like carpinteria. i don't think... i was hoping to get a small beach town feel living here - um.. what was i thinking?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love these photots!! That grass driveway in front of the garage in that one photo is so weird! I've never seen anything like that...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow exciting to have a royal visit so nearby!!!
    And wonderful houses (and beautiful pictures!) You are blessed to live in such a wonderful area!

    ReplyDelete

xoxo lori