So Close...And Yet...So Far

Everyone has a mental list of things they want to do. Mine is an ongoing list of adventures that I keep adding to and taking away from. For example, one thing on my "to do" list is to visit Hearst Castle. It seems like such a beautiful and interesting place. I mean, how/why do people collect such treasures?! It truly boggles my mind. It's kind of along the lines of the Winchester House in San Jose, but not as weird. (By the way, thanks to Aubrey & Jeff for taking me to the Winchester House for my birthday a couple of years ago...It was another item on the list.)

Anyway, I met Mom in Bakersfield this past weekend so that she could pick Quentin up for Spring Break. I decided that since I was down there, I would hang a left and go to the coast and visit Hearst Castle! One more thing off of the "to do" list makes room to add something new to the list.

So, I finally arrive at the coast and it is as gorgeous as the pictures you've seen. I decide that I MUST stop at one of the vista points and take some pictures of my own. It is a requirement after all that when you're a scrapbooker you have your camera with you at all times. So, I was prepared...or so I thought! Eh, WRONG!

Oh, I had my camera and I snapped three or four photos and all of the sudden I see this red light flashing at me. What the H-E-Double L is going on here I think to myself. Only not so nicely. It's the stupid battery! My battery is going dead! You've got to be kidding me I'm yelling at myself in my head. What kind of sick joke is this?! Okay, fine. I decide that I'm going to the castle anyway. I've come this far, I'm at least going to see the castle and take as many photos as I can before the camera goes completely dead. Eh, WRONG!

I make it to the visitor center for Hearst Castle and the monitors advertising the tour schedules read "SOLD OUT"! In letters exactly like that! This is next to all tours except one. That one tour was at the end of the day and it was only to see the garden and the wine cellar. I considered it for 1/2 a second and then thought that I better not, because if I got anywhere near that castle I WAS going IN! I'm not going to stay in the stinkin' garden I thought...and who gives a rat's patooty about the wine cellar?! I don't drink wine!

So, I wandered around the visitor's center and shot some photos of what I could. Needless to say, Hearst Castle is STILL on the "To Do" list. Here are some of the photos:



The photo above was taken from behind the visitor's center using my super deluxe telephoto zoom lens. The lady at the information desk told me that the castle is a five mile drive from the visitor center.



This photo was taken from exactly the same spot as the first photo...only without the zoom lens. Can you see the castle? Me either. The zoom lens ROCKS!



This is photo of the statue that has a light on it's head. All of them were pretty much the same design. I liked the photo without the light. With the light it just looks like a statue with a light globe on it's head. Hee hee! Yes, I know that's what it is supposed to look like! I mean, it is a light after all. :-)



The detail on this little statue was pretty cool. I didn't get a great shot of the whole thing, so I'm showing you a close up.

I had a good time...dead camera battery and all. At least now I know that I need to book my tour in advance and I'm planning on buying an extra battery for my camera so that I have one charged at all times!