Have you ever taken an Old Fashioned Drive ?
If you haven't you've missed out or so I think.
Growing up ..my parents always liked to take a drive somewhere ..there wasn't any particular destination spot ..Like Disneyland or some special spot that we had to end our drive at....It wasn't about how quick we could get there ..it was all about "The Drive."
If your familiar with the old addage ... "Stopping to Smell the Roses" ... that's what an old fashioned drive is like ..enjoying the scenery.. taking in the beauty of the land ...enjoying all the splendor and all Gods' creatures.
Add a little rain storm in ..and well add that we Love the rain ..the calmness it brings over the land ..the smell of the fresh rain...the pitty pattering of the rain drops ... the exhiliration of the cold rainy wind nipping at your nose ...and it's a perfect combination for a relaxing Old Fashioned Drive.
Mix that with the need to get away from all the stucco walls of a housing development ..away from all the traffic...away from all the business and hubub and away from all the every dayness of just being home....
And
We decided to take a drive that we hadn't been on in probably over a year ... toward the Julian / Ramona Area.
Now to have a proper Old Fashioned drive ..there are only a couple rules ...Number One and the most important one to remember ...is your not on a race or in a hurry to get anywhere ! So no speeding and preferrably a little slower than the speed limit is the right way to go about a good old fashioned drive. Of course your going to get those people that have forgotten how to stop and smell the roses and want to tail gate ...they may become highly aggitated and flip their lights on and off at you or slight swerve from one side to the other behind you ...really pay them no attention...there's always the chance they can pass you when there is no oncoming traffic as that's what the divided lines were created for ...and or pull over to the side of the road out of courtesy when it's safe and let them pass ..do it with ease of heart and a light attitude and remember that was you just yesterday ..forgetting to smell the roses and enjoy your surroundings. The only other rules are ..stop when you want to ..have lunch at your own convenience ..stop at a roadside store and walk around a minute ..or just pull off the side of the road and enjoy the beauty that you forget to enjoy the other 364 days of the year !
So we began our drive ..by taking every possible back road we could to leave the city and head for the country ...
Once we get out on the open road of Hywy 79 ....it opened up into a beautiful landscape... My favorite area begins about Warner springs ..and continues all the way into Santa Isabel.
If you thought the changing of the leaves only happened back in the midwest and east ...well it's not so ...we may not get it to the same degree ...as we definitely don't have the amount of trees those areas have ...but we do have some wonderful foliage changes ...you just have to go to the right places to find and "Enjoy" them.
We stopped to admire the view ... while the rain had let up for a few minutes ....and off in the distance was a Beautiful tree line that was showing it's changed colors in all their splendor ...set against the desert prairie style back drop ..it was just beautiful ...
Our drive was so nice today ..not to many people in a hurry ..and for the few that were, we graciously pulled over and let them proceed past us ...
Why is it that pictures just can't capture what our eyes see ..this tree was just stunning ..it's colors were changing splendidly ...the picture just doesn't do the tree the justice it really deserves ...
As we made into Santa Ysabel ...we decided to stop in at an antique mall in Wynola ..just a few miles from Julian and walk around ...
It was pouring down rain and the temperatures were in the 30's ...and the little old mall ...really felt it ...my how it was freezing ...I told Abbey they sure know how to keep their customers moving ...LOL !!! Nonetheless it was fun ...and we got to wear our winter jackets today which felt mighty good considering the weather ...
After all that cold ...and the hour and half that we had been on the road ..we decided a little lunch was needed ..so we headed a few miles more up the hill as Julian is a quaint little mountain town full of charming little shops .. most well known for it's apple orchards and Apple Pie Shops... Plus a little restaurant that we have frequented over the years ...
The Julian Cafe and Bakery. For years this has been the place we stop to grab a bite to eat ..
There's nothing like returning to a place you have fond memories of and finding that it's still the same ...little has changed and the things you loved about it then are still there now ...it's something that warms your heart and gives you a since of comfort ...there is a plus to things staying the same sometimes ..progress can sometimes strip the world of all it's warmth and security and keep us in a since of insecurity ...which leaves me ever so thankful for little towns like Julian that keep on keeping on in basicly the same way.
At the Julian Cafe our Favorite Home comfort food ...was still being offered and was exactly what a cold ..blustery day like today needed and that was a homemade chicken potpie ..some garlic Mashed potates and gravy ... crisp sweet coleslaw and a beautiful garden salad....
Isn't it yummy looking ...Yes this is it ...and I admit I ate just about everything there. And about now I'm wishing I had another plate full it tasted and felt so good !
Julian was bustling with people as always ...the streets and shops were full ....
...I saw this sign on the street and thought it was so cute !
Well I must admit we didn't walk the shops in Julian ...we weren't out so much to shop ...we really just wanted to enjoy our drive ..the rainy weather..and the beautiful scenery of being out in the country !
We headed back down the hill ..toward Santa Ysabel ...and decided that we couldn't leave the area without some of that yummy apple dessert that makes the area so famous !
So we ended up at the Julian Pie Co.
It's Red, White, and Blue Exterior boasts ... "As American as Apple Pie" ....and the window boxes, awnings and parlour tables and chairs make the pie co.... even more charming ..not too mention the enticing smell that oozes from every door and window sill ...
Inside ...the choices of Apple Pie combinations are endless ...apple-peach, apple-boysenberry, apple-mountainberry and many more, too many to mention and each with a yummy pie crust or crumb topping, each pie is made fresh by hand daily. Have a slice as it is or served warm or...A La Mode. Not up for pie then how about .... Apple Cider donuts...some covered with sugar and cinnamon, others topped with caramel or chocolate icings. Then there are ..Sweet Memories ..which are flaky crust hearts and apples rolled in cinnamon and sugar ......or Wunder Bars ..Cookies that are luscious creamy peanutbutter and chocolate. I would guess they have about 30 different desserts to choose from and each one is sooooooooo good!
After we finished oohing and ahhing we finally made our choices and throughly enjoyed every bite.....every single morsel ....YUM!
With our tummies full [very full] and our sweet toothes satisfied we get back on the road and head for Ramona ..Ramona is another small, quaint, rural town surrounded by thousands of acres of horse and cattle country. The roads going east take you up into the hills and mountains while the roads going west take you down into the big cities and on to the pacific ocean. After the long drive we needed to give our legs a stretch and so we took a spin around the Ramona Antique mall and one other antique shop ...and then decided to head back home while it was still daylight so we could enjoy...the same ...slow ...winding..relaxing and enjoyable route we came....
By now the rain had moved on, the sky was beginning to clear and the sun peeked out here and there and shone on the earth with such beauty ...and just a short time later ...the sky fell dark ...and all was peaceful ....
Just a short while from home ....as we came around a curve in the road ..the mountain peaks were lit ever so stunningly ...and the full Moon was just beginning to rise it's big glowing self right into the sky ...
It was a Perfect ending to a most lovely of lovely days .. a day that helps you remember to stop and breathe and remember that life is only what you make of it ...that all the stress ..we many times bring on ourselves ...and that most of the time we think we are good at stopping to smell the roses ...but really we haven't smelled them at all ..because all lifes business blots out the beauty. It's up to us ..to stop ...really stop ...and take a moment ..or a day ..or a week even ...and enjoy the Beauty of God's earth. He provided such wonderful beauty for us to search out and find beyond the manmade jungles we live in...but ultimately it's up to us to find them..it's up to us to stop and Smell, Taste, Touch ,See, and Hear ...the Beauty of all God's Creation !
Today ..I Smelled , I tasted, I touched, I saw and I heard God's Beauty ...and I was blessed to share this Beautiful Old Fashioned Drive and Day trip with my Parents ..My best friends !,
Take time out to Smell the Roses ....there close by ..if you just take the time to search them out !
Scrumptious Pink Paper Roses Dipped in Silver Glass Glitter ...the perfect addition for any Christmas Tree ..or Romantic Room .. 
