Rachel Anne Dickinson

An Afternoon in Historic Folsom

I hope you all are having a great week. It seems like it’s the season for John and I to explore different areas of Northern California, and last Saturday was no exception. We had a chance to spend some time in Historic Folsom!

First, John and I went to Folsom to celebrate our friend’s birthday. We ate lunch at Buckhorn Grill at the Palladio Shopping Center. It was our first time trying this bbq spot. It was sunny outside and we sat out on the patio area. The food was delicious! I had a tri-tip sandwich with sweet potato fries and it did not disappoint. The tri-tip came with au jus sauce and the fries had some sort of aioli-like dip. It was nice catching up with our friends because we definitely don’t get to see them all that often now.

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After lunch, we visited with our friends at their home and then we explored Historic Folsom, which was only about ten minutes away. Known for being “the place where the west came and stayed,” it’s a picturesque old town gem located next to Lake Natoma. Upon arriving at Historic Folsom, we saw the Historic Folsom Station and Railroad Museum. The museum was closed by the time we got there, but it was fun taking photos near the Southern Pacific train car parked on the tracks. Imagine who stopped at the train stop in the height of the Gold Rush!

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There were a variety of cute shops, cafes, and restaurants. The clothing boutiques were filled with trendy tops, fedora hats, and sparkling crystal jewelry. There was even a nice antique shop selling all sorts of unique finds, including tea plates, gem rings, and old books. I window shopped a lot so I wouldn’t be tempted to purchase anything. Historic Folsom has a small town charm to it, with stores and establishments making the older buildings come alive. There were all sorts of buildings, from brightly painted wooden buildings to the brick Opera House.

We also ran into an old time piano! I pictured someone playing it when there are a lot of people out and about, strolling on a nice afternoon. We were only able to venture out in Historic Folsom for a little over an hour, but I’d definitely like to come back and peruse the shops and try out one of the cafes.

There are so many towns I’d like to check out in Northern California. It reminds me of fourth grade, learning about California’s history. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a good weekend!

Weekend in Sonora

By Rachel Dickinson

The February weather in Northern California for the past couple of weeks has been on the warmer side. This last weekend, John and I visited his grandparents’ place in Sonora.

The drive to Sonora was nice—the sun was shining and everything was green. After we got off the freeway and headed east, the drive wasn’t too busy with traffic. Along the way, we saw lots of cows and a few horses grazing in grass. We also saw a few orchards that were blossoming with white flowers as we traveled along the highway. We passed through a few gold mining towns, which I definitely would like to visit sometime. They all have historic buildings and I imagine they have a lot of stories to tell.

Upon arriving at John’s grandparents’ place, we saw lots of plants in bloom. The warmer weather was perfect for early spring flowers to blossom. I took a few photos of these lovely flowers and loved how much their vivid color stood out with the sun shining on them. John’s step-grandma and grandpa have beautiful flowers growing around their home. They were also working on growing all sorts of tulips.

On the property, there were a lot of animals roaming about, including chickens, goats, and cats. One of the goats gave birth and the babies were only five days old when we got there! I loved how different their fur turned out. John even got to hold one of them!

I enjoyed this ceramic tile that said “All Things Grow with Love” on it. With just a bit of love, you can see things blossom and bloom.

One of the indoor activities I worked on this past weekend was beading. John’s step-grandma is an avid beader and has tons of different types of beads. On one of our last visits, we made beaded bracelets and earrings and she inspired me to purchase some beads to work on at home. This weekend, I brought some of the supplies I bought to their home to work on some beading projects. I was able to finish four pairs of earrings and a bracelet.

We also had a lovely home cooked dinner with vegetables, pork chops, and a salad, and we talked the evening away with homemade wine from John’s grandpa.

This weekend was a great way to relax and recharge from the busyness of the week and spend time with family. We can’t wait to visit again!

A Valentine’s Trip in Monterey, California: Day Two

By Rachel Dickinson

Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed the Day One post of the Monterey trip. Let’s get started on Day Two of the Valentine’s Trip!

17-Mile Drive, Seal Rock, and Cypress Point Lookout:

After breakfast and checking out of our hotel, we headed to the famous Pebble Beach 17-Mile Drive. We only had a couple of hours to drive and explore before our tea time reservation at Eddison & Melrose in Pacific Grove.

We arrived at the north side entrance early on Valentine’s Day and it was a bit overcast, but luckily not foggy. It was nice to arrive early so there wasn’t as much traffic yet. As the morning cleared up, the views of the ocean, golf courses, and homes were gorgeous!

Along the way, we stopped at a few of the overlooks of the ocean and John was able to do a small portrait shoot with his camera. Some of the points we stopped at were China Rock, Bird Rock, Seal Rock, and Cypress Point Lookout. It was a bit chilly, so definitely bring warm clothing if you go in February.

Once the sun started to break between the clouds, the water turned aqua in some places. We saw a few squirrels, seagulls, and even a large group of seals!

The 17-Mile drive is a definite destination if you are in the Monterey area, especially on Valentine’s Day to take your loved ones.

High Tea for Two at Eddison & Melrose:

Pinkies up for this lovely establishment. Karen Ann and her team really deliver a delightful and intimate tea room experience. All of the details, from the lace tablecloths, quaint flower bouquets, teacup napkin holders, and teapot vases provided a perfect Valentine’s Day afternoon high tea.

High tea started with flutes of a sparkling cranberry beverage. After the refreshment, I tried a pot of the Archie Royal tea. According to the Eddison & Melrose website, the Archie Royal tea had flavors of cranberry, apricot, oil of bergamot, wild flowers, and berries and John had the 19th of May tea made with malty assam and hints of spice, to commemorate Harry and Meghan’s special day.

Our high tea also included savory curry chicken and cucumber sandwiches, spanokopita, sweet and soft scones with lemon curd and jam, strawberries, cupcakes, and lavender-hued macarons that matched the color of my dress! All of the items were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I tried my best to savor all of the flavors while eating each one.

I also perused the items for sale, from homemade granola, honey, and darling tea time jewelry. I ended up purchasing two handcrafted tiny plate earrings and they were willing to let me mix and match with a set of a teacup and plate earrings! I’m definitely going to wear these on our next tea time.

They were also so gracious in taking a photo of us together. After our tea, Karen Ann gave me a beautiful baby pink rose to bring home with me. Thank you to Karen Ann and her team for a wonderful experience in Pacific Grove to round out our trip. We definitely want to come back!

It was a lovely day to spend with the hubby in Monterey during our mini-moon adventure. Hope you all have a great rest of your week!

A Valentine’s Trip to Monterey, California: Day One

By Rachel Dickinson

Happy Monday, everyone! For Valentine’s Day 2020, John and I took a trip to Monterey, California to celebrate. We drove roughly three hours to get to our first destination and we made a pit stop at Starbucks along the way for some caffeine.

First Stop of the Day: Monterey Bay Aquarium

Once we arrived in Monterey, we found $10.00 public parking nearby that we were able to use all day. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is such a large, beautiful aquarium. I talked to one of the staff members at one of the gift shops and they said a lot of the people that work at the aquarium are volunteers and that it really takes a community to support the aquarium. If you can, visit on an off day when it’s not as busy so you can make the most out of your experience.

One of the first things we saw when we arrived was the Kelp Forest feeding, with a diver in a large tank feeding the fish. It’s amazing how many different types of fish were showcased all throughout the aquarium.

After the feeding, we moved through one of our first exhibits and saw a Giant Octopus. At first it was hiding in the corner of the tank, but a few moments later a large group stood by to watch the octopus spread its legs and move across and really show it’s full body! It was huge!

We took a break after roaming around for a while and ate at the aquarium cafe. There were great options on the cafe menu and lunch was delicious. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and John had the chef’s special burger. The view of the ocean from the cafe is amazing!

Several of my favorite parts of the aquarium were The Open Sea and the Jellies exhibits on the upper level. Upon entering, you could see a glittery school of sardines swimming along on the ceiling! The music in this area was smooth and calming.

Jellyfish were all around and we saw basketball looking jellyfish, mini jellies, and microscopic ones. It was fun to take silhouette photos near the jellyfish.

In the next exhibit, The Open Sea, there was the largest tank I’ve ever seen and lots of surprise sea animals. We saw hammerhead sharks on the bottom, more sardines, fish, and a large sea turtle wading on top.

There’s so much to see and I can see why it’s such a well-renowned, loved aquarium. I’d definitely go again!

We walked through some of Cannery Row after the aquarium and before dinner, but we weren’t able to really dive into Cannery Row.

We wished we had more time to explore and we definitely want to come back next time!

Old Fisherman’s Grotto, for the Romantics:

Our Valentine’s Day dinner was the night before Valentine’s Day this year, to avoid the crowd on the actual day. I saw this restaurant on Yelp and decided to give it a try and make a reservation. I was definitely happy I did!

Old Fisherman’s Grotto is on The Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. Our meal started off with their famous clam chowder. They even gave us a complimentary appetizer plate with shrimp, calamari, and artichokes in a balsamic glaze! We both had pasta–I tried the Linguini Isabella white sauce pasta with seafood and John had a red sauce pasta with shrimp, salmon, and scallions. The pasta I had was creamy and delectable.

The ambiance was wonderful and the songs they played set the mood. For dessert, we couldn’t resist the tiramisu. It was so light and creamy that it was so hard to put my spoon down. We enjoyed a candlelit ocean view romantic dinner during sunset, a kind and thoughtful wait staff, cute Valentine’s Day decor and a lovely rose given at the end of the meal. If you’re ever in the Monterey area, definitely try this restaurant out!

I hope you all enjoyed Valentine’s Day with your loved ones and look out for the second post of our trip, coming soon!

5 Tips for Organizing Clutter (And Getting that Early Spring Cleaning On!)

By Rachel Anne Dickinson

I’ve recently been trying to declutter our apartment, getting rid of things to have more space. There’s something so gratifying when you throw away, recycle, or donate items that we no longer need and make room for the things we cherish and love. For me, when I see clutter, it’s hard for me to focus, whether it’s on writing, planning blog posts, or trying to be productive on anything in general because it’s so easy to be unmotivated and stressed out by the pile of papers or dirty dishes. Here are a few tips that I’ve gleaned and tried that have helped make decluttering not as painful and more enjoyable.

Put a Cleaning Playlist On! There are some playlists on Spotify, specifically for cleaning, that make cleaning motivating and fun. Turn it up to your favorite energizing beats, whether it’s pop, rap, hip hop, country, or rock. Music makes cleaning for me go by faster while I’m singing to my favorite artists.

Digitize Paperwork and Photos. There were a bunch of cards, whether it was birthday or thank you greetings that I enjoyed from family or friends, but I’ve found I kept a lot of them. Like too many of them. Take photos of the sweet words and comments from friends, and then recycle them. Also, when you digitize photos, you’ll save a ton of space on prints and have them accessible on the Cloud or Google Photos.

Less is More Mentality: I recently perused a local print magazine and noticed a beautiful home that was highlighted and showcased. While the home was super clean, I noticed the decor in each room was pretty minimal. I used this inspiration while decluttering; an artfully decorated space typically has less “things”–old mail and catalogs, receipts everywhere, piles of who-knows-what–and keeps the space tidy and clean. I felt way better when there was less on the table and felt more motivated to keep going with the decluttering.

Know It Takes Time: Don’t fret about how long it will take because then you might not ever get started. Start with 10 or even 5 minutes to declutter just a portion of a table. You might find that that one simple task will encourage you to clean more than what you set out to do and in no time, a whole room will be decluttered!

Stay Positive: Reward yourself by pulling out a nice scented candle you’ve been hiding (I pulled out an old pumpkin candle and lit it after I decluttered), treating yourself to a nice snack, or taking a break and unwinding with your favorite TV show. When you treat yourself to something good, you’ll want to keep up the habit.

Try to keep up with a decluttering habit for one week and see a difference in your home. You’ll feel much more at ease, relaxed, and focused to tackle other goals and not have to worry about all the clutter.

Have a Happy Galentine’s Day!

By Rachel Anne Dickinson

Whether you’re celebrating coupled or single, make this day about love. A fun way is to get together with your best friends and celebrate a Galentine’s Day! Below are some ideas for your Galentine’s Day.

Watch your favorite movie with your best friends. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You comes out on Netflix February 12th! Make it a double feature and watch the first and second movie! While you watch, have Valentine themed treats and champagne to make it extra special. Heart shaped Rice Krispy treats with sprinkles, anyone?
Have a mini spa party! Have your friends bring over different nail polish colors, put on face masks, and relax the night away. Light a couple of scented candles or a scented diffuser and put on your favorite calming playlist to set the mood.
Indulge you and your friends with a fancy DIY Afternoon Tea Party! You can find ornate tea cups (bonus if you can find a teapot) at a local thrift store and give them new life with a good rinsing. Pour some hot water over soothing peppermint, spicy chai, or stress-free lavender tea and make some delicious cucumber sandwiches, scones with jam, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.
Have a Valentine’s Craft Party! For a traditional craft party, you can make valentines with friends and share them with a local senior center. Another idea for a craft party is you can even plan to create self-love boards, of photos of you with family or friends and put positive words that describe you. You can even write notes to each other and paste them on your boards.
Alternatively, if you have alone time in the afternoon, you can treat yourself to a cozy afternoon reading your favorite romance novel! Steep your favorite tea in some hot water, grab your favorite soft blanket, and spend some quality time with characters from a love story you cherish. You can make it more social in the evening by having a Galentine’s Book Swap of romance novels that you want to share with your favorite pals.

Make this Valentine’s Day all about you and the people you love. Have fun and share the love!

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Rachel and I’m so glad you’re here.

A little bit about me: I’m a creative writer who loves a good love story. I’m currently working on my first novel. I am a lover of romance stories that make me laugh and cry, of Jane Austen novels, and dogs.

You can find me typing away at local coffee shops, dreaming of characters, and planning travel adventures with my husband, John.