summer fun!

Absolutely glorious day here my friends!! It is 86 degrees at 10 am this morning on the coast, (pretty rare for that temperature around here!) it is so sunny, clear, bright and warm, it actually feels like a real summer day!! This sun girl is stoked!



It is shaping up to be quite a summer! I love my new (used) bike and have been riding it all over town, walking lots on the beach and catching up with friends that are home or visiting for the summer, taking lots of pictures, I am just so inspired right now by everything I see. Tourist season is starting, but feels different so far this year, folks are in town but they are not taking over as much as it normally feels like they do. We're all debating if this years fourth of July will be insanity because its on a friday and it might end up THE event for toursits this year on limited budgets, or it could end up really quiet because of the limited budgets...

So many things to look forward to, the camping trip on the Channel Islands, golfing, surfing, a visit from my very best and oldest friend with her munchkins, a Willie Nelson concert, beach bonfires, a full moon hike, wine tasting, 5 birthdays, 2 weddings, close friends moving in just two houses down the street, BBQ's, and other random bits of juicy goodness that are sure to be created spur of the moment!

My garden is lovely, the strawberries are going crazy, the snap peas are busting out, the tomatoes are beefing up, the basil, arugala, thyme, sage, mint and majorum are lush and filling out daily, the garlic and onions are going very slow. The flowers are beautiful, I cut some yesterday to bring into the house.

On a similar note, a few of us have been talking about going kayaking at some point soon this summer for quite some time now...the surf has been far too mellow to catch much on a board and the weather and wind have finally been mellowing out, so it seems a good time to make a plan.

Now we just have to decide if we want to go up the coast a bit or maybe start closer to home, over in the bay. All this talk of kayaking and all the yackers we met camping got me thinking about the last time I went kayaking, which was lots and lots of fun, but also a little crazy. Upon reflection, I would now add to the list I wrote before:

Going with someone you trust and who is experienced provides a far better chance to come back in one piece than going with someone who is kind of a freak of nature and has only been out a few times!

Happy Summer!

PS: it's a full moon tonight - make a wish, I did!

Local Saturday

Beginning with a 4 mile beach walk, adding in a free concert at the beach with one of my favorite local musicians Shane Stoneman, a leisurely drive home along a beautiful backroad, crazy beautiful photo ops and ending with a delicious dinner custom made at our little Italian restaurant. Epic!

Ahhhh memories

Not sure why I am so bloggy right now, I guess there is just a lot on my mind and a lot of conference calls that I have to be on but not necessarily really contribute to, so I am multi-tasking. I have been writing a lot and working a lot with an art project I am trying to finish and with all the recent pictures I have taken. Just too much thought to hold in my head, I suppose! :)

Today has been a lot about memories, as I am putting together a gift for my dad for Father's Day which includes many family memories, some things I haven't seen for a long time. On screen at the moment is a 3 year old me ripping into new dresses my grandma made me for my Birthday, and boy am I excited about a red umbrella someone gave to me. I am pretty cute then:

I have been on conference calls non-stop all day and decided to run up to the store as a quick diversion between the last call and the next and threw on a red sweatshirt (cuz its chilly!) Apparently this item didn't make it into the camping wash, because it smells so strongly of campfire, it practically made my eyes water. I wore it that last night we were there, sitting around the blazing dual fire, so many happy memories were made, so many that I'll always treasure. I can hardly believe it has already been two weeks since the trip, I still don't feel like I came back the same person that I was when I left. Funny and fabulous how your life can change in a moment and so often when least expected.

Happy Friday!!

I haven't happy friday'ed in a while! Soooooooo...

Yea!!!!! It's Friday!! I am so ready for the weekend! I need a long walk on the beach, time to catch up on some errands, no schedule, no deadlines, no computer in front of my face all day, time for some art, some nature, some adventure, some fun! I feel some golf and surf coming on, if the weather and waves comply. Wishing all of you a beautiful happy weekend and of course Happy Father's Day to all of you Fathers, brothers, teachers , mentors, uncles and grandfathers! :)

More Happy Camping

Last Fall, I got a chance to take a trip out to the Channel Islands and was able to visit two separate areas of the largest Island, Santa Cruz. It was one of the best things I did last year. I really enjoyed the people that we went with and I got some beautiful shots, a few of which are my favorites of all time. The whole experience felt special and unique, though the island is visited often throughout the year, they have done an excellent job of keeping that sacred ground feeling and at times it was so foggy, we couldn't see beyond a few feet of ocean and it really felt like we were living in a world far away from everyone and everything else. It was just a pretty standard day trip, but very moving and thought provoking and I left feeling like I would love to go again as often as possible and explore all of the islands.

Today, I am so freakin' excited because I was just invited to a 3 day camping trip, near the beginning of August, on the island of Santa Rosa, which is only possible seasonally. The idea of being on one of the island's that is visited the least, being there with great people, having 3 days to explore, hike, rest, contemplate, take pictures and just soak it all up, is generally making me ecstatic! I can hardly wait! Tons of history and artifacts, white sand beaches, a few hours on the ocean, a huge painted cave, seriously, what could be better? Thank goodness I have lots of other fun things planned in the meantime or it would be a little unbearable to wait!

Add in a side trip to Sushi Marina for green mussels and you've got one of my versions of paradise.

mini dj's

These kids are a trip!

A little vacation

Re-entry back into my daily routine was a bit brutal coming off of one of the best little vacations I have taken. The last night, sitting around what may be the most blazing campfire I can recall, we actually discussed how hard it would be to try to explain to anyone who wasn't there just exactly what went on, but unless you were there, it's pretty tough.

I met all of these just wonderful people and so much happened in like two days that it felt like we had all been hanging out for like a month. One of the reasons I so love where I live is the true community aspect we have all created, and it was remarkably similar on this trip, definitely a bit of the kindred spirits feel. I can't remember the last time I laughed that much and for what feels like days on end.

I could write probably paragraphs of the little inside jokes that got created on the fly, and my friends who weren't there just aren't going to understand why almost anything having to do with Russia is funny and why I now slip into this really bad fake Russian accent occasionally, or why I am considered something of a rock star at Nepenthe's, my new appreciation for kayaking, why a six pack is going to send me into peels of giggles, why I will offer to sage anyone that needs a little luck and protection, why I think a show about fire protection would be fabulous and thus why when Hewell Houser says "it's amazing" I am going to fall off my chair laughing, why I am having a custom shovel made at the hardware store, or even how given all this it was even possible that at the last moment I almost didn't go because my best friend who I planned the trip with wasn't able to.

It was everything a good vacation should be, time away to unplug, time with friends, making new friends, laughing, reflecting, getting some exercise and seeing new things, getting a little dusty, stargazing, appreciating the astounding beauty of nature, sharing, making music, drinking a little too much wine, getting a fresh perspective and having a great time! I know without a doubt that I will be taking pieces of it with me all of my life.

I don't even have the words to convey my gratitude nor this huge profound feeling it seems to have created but can't even begin to explain. "It's amazing" (laughing my ass off) that we as a culture have made life so complicated. The basic simplicity I find when camping really brings home the fact that simple can be so much better and I'd like to find ways to create more of that in my life.

Here's hoping each of you is able to get out of your daily grind for a bit this summer to rediscover the wonder of Mother Nature and maybe even a little piece of yourself you didn't even realize was missing! Even a short trip can go a very long way!

Peace and Love and Light and Joy to all my relations! :) xo

Apparently they're all my house

I read somewhere recently that there is a serious bee crisis, that they seem to be severely dwindling in numbers, I find this very alarming as they are essential for our survival - however on a lighter note, I think they might all be at my house...the huge shrubbery someone planted to act as a fence between my house and the next has busted out in a blanket bloom of thousands of clusters of tiny pink flowers (last year it simply remained a ginormous green shrub, if there were any flowers they weren't noteworthy)

This lovely pink display is now daily surrounded by hundreds of bees, the collective buzz so loud at times it almost sounds like a mechanical motor. I really like bee's, and given the crisis, I mostly think this is cool - pretty little flowers, happy little buzzing bees - I am almost tempted to try my hand at beekeeping, but I will note that it is a little disconcerting knowing all those stingers are just lurking about and those cute tiny flowers...full of pollen I am apparently allergic to...

Though I will gladly put up with the minor inconveniences if it means that doing so ensures the endurance of humanity. (LOL)

I wouldn't mind a few more butterflies in the garden though :)

roughly 20 years in the making

So I did a crazy thing tonight, a reunion of sorts, I went to visit the fraternity house where I was once a little sister. A former "brother" happens to be one of my neighbors and best friends, he stopped by this afternoon to tell me about an alumni event that was being held there tonight and asked me to go.

We just had so much fun! We saw old friends, made new ones, shared some of the history the new kids are now a part of, just a blast!

But I must also mention how completely surreal it was to stand somewhere I haven't stood for almost 20 years and that I have been alive that long to even say something like that! So much of the larger events of my young adulthood took place there. My best college friends, my first college boyfriend, my first time away from home. It is so hard to desribe, but I think if you have ever been there, you know.

The best part I think though, is how good and happy I feel about the way things have turned out. I have a beautiful life that I am so grateful for! LIFE IS GOOD! xoxo

A few updates

Looking over the last few entries, it becomes clear i haven't been a very active poster in quite some time...can't sleep tonight for some reason so thought I'd note a bit of the latest.

It has been pretty busy! My brother and his wife held their wedding reception, my dear friends moved back home from Australia and are 5 short weeks away from welcoming their baby girl into the world, I had a rather large super bowl party that turned out really well, my best friend came down for a visit with two of her 3 children for a lovely weekend, I have made several trips up to the office and home generally for work and family events, helped to launch a huge project at work, have been doing a lot of organizing & cleaning and working on my garden. I was down almost 4 full weeks with that crazy flu thats been going around, that stuff is nasty and kinda scary! I am so grateful to be feeling well again. The weather is getting so much warmer and it already feels like Spring, the rain was nice but I am such a sun girl. The rain brought the green back to the hills, the days have been bright and sunny, the nights have been crisp and clear, the stars so bright - really its just been unbelievably beautiful here the past week! I even surfed last Saturday morning and can't wait to get back out. Life is good! I feel a golf day coming on!

Happy Valentines Day

Wishing you love and blessings! xoxo

Beware of the ghost in the kitchen

I did get a few trick or treaters, not masses mind you, but heck, I was actually pretty ecstatic about just one, let alone like 10. Of course, that means, that like every other household, I have far too much left over candy, but for me, no office to bring it to. =o)

Why though, do weird things always seem to happen to me on/around Halloween? So last night, long after the trick or treaters were in their sugar coma, I fell asleep on the couch watching TV. I woke up about 12:30 AM and went to the fridge for some water before putting myself to bed. As I was closing the fridge door, the whole freaking thing came off the hinges and landed on the floor. All I could think was, "Holy Canoli, did that really just happen?!"

I was half asleep and not thinking all that clearly, but still trying to decide what to do. I couldn't just leave the fridge open and doorless all night, and I didn't really want to call the after hours emergency line at the property managers, because that seemed awfully extreme. So, I pulled everything foodstuff out of the door, stacked it in the interior of the fridge and set about fighting with the heavy door to see if I could at least get it close to closed so it wasn't just running all night and spoiling everything, until morning when I could call. Seriously, this was a challenge while kind of bleary eyed and sleepy, and as I was lifting the door and trying to get at least the top to fit into its little pivot point, more random parts from the fridge started falling off. After wrestling with it for about 20 minutes and discovering grease from the mechanisms all over my hands, I finally got the damn thing closed - leaned a big chair against it, washed my hands and went to bed. Yikes!!

Thankfully, the repair dude from the property management company came out right away, and its already repaired with everything back in its place, but what a weird thing to happen!

Happy Halloween!

I'm crossing my fingers that I finally live in enough of a neighborhood to get real trick or treaters. I actually bought candy and carved pumpkins for the porch...we'll see how it goes. I think it has been over 6 years since I lived somewhere either less rural or with kids in the hood. I just love to see kids in their costumes, its one of the things I miss most about being a teacher. Plus, I really like to see the traditions of Halloween trick or treating carrying on. Last year, I didn't really get to celebrate the holiday which is my favorite, so I tried to make up for it some this year.

First, I attended a small costume soiree with a good friend that led to us going to our local favorite watering hole immediately after. Our costumes were low key but fun and easy. I was a "medicine woman", costume consisting of: long black dress over black pants, knee high moccasins, lots of turquoise jewelery, a leather beaded and belled ankle cuff, and a medicine belt that had "medicine cards" inside, plus curly curly hair and lots of sparkles on my face. It was amazing how just showing up a little different than normal made it a bit more special, changed peoples interactions, brought out the cheer and made it more festive. In other words, loads of fun and an accidental social experiment!

But my favorite by far was going to an annual charity event (that I hadn't even heard of before somehow) at Eberle Winery. They convert their wine storage caves into "haunted caves" for the holiday. Initially it sounded fun - which is why I wanted to go, but I was totally impressed with how well it was done! The caves are fairly large, very dark, long and winding, with with wine barrels lining the walls of either side. In fact, it reminded me of one of the scary rides at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk from when I was little, minus the moving cart. They were completely decorated with webs, images, black lights, staged areas, scary folks in masks and costumes, scary stuff hanging from the ceiling, people jumping out of dark crevices, creepy sounds - it was freaking great, I screamed like a five year old and laughed for hours during and after!

Oh ya, and the wine tasting before we went through the caves was pretty great too, evidenced by the case of wine that went home with me. I'm definitely making it one of my Halloween annual events from here on out!

Boo! :)

A little chilly - fire it up, lets go!

The end of September, and though we are still having a few beautiful sunny days, Fall fills the night air, leaves are turning gold and red, and the seasons change is in progress. It was another lovely summer, filled with lots of music and concerts, road trips, vacations, beach walks, spending time with family, new and old friends, festivals, photography, lots of wine tasting and consumption, great meals paired with great conversations, gorgeous warm sun filled days, breathtaking sunsets, laughter & overall fun! Lots of work too, but that helps fund the fun. :)

Tonight on my way home from seeing an amazing Cajun Zydeco band out of New Orleans called BeauSoleil, I passed a number of fire trucks and police cars, it was only after I passed them that I caught a pg&e truck out of the corner of my eye and then noticed that everything else was completely black. Everything, as far as I could see, was dark, no streetlamps, no porch lights, nada - the whole entire town was without power and it was so dark, it was almost unbelievable. Thank goodness I have solar porch lights, so I could see enough to get into the house without tripping up my stairs. I have plenty of candles and knew right where my super flashlight was waiting. Yet, still, it was weird, its been a long time since the power was out here at night and I have never seen a whole town (granted we are small but still!) in a total blackout. It was a bit creepy and it was a reminder how dependent we have become on electricity, it was so odd to not be able to turn on the TV or look up a local news website and find out what was going on, and I found out that the radio I do have, doesn't work when its on battery power for some reason. So I'll need to get one that does, I do live in earthquake land and I live a block from the pacific ocean and about 5 miles from a nuclear power plant, so it seems like it could be one of those key emergency type items... ;)

We had a big beach bonfire last Sunday night, last one of the season, it was actually very clear and not that chilly. It was a random spur of the moment thing, probably brought on by the residual euphoria of the Raiders finally winning a game and looking like a team! Go Raiders! I think we only had one other bonfire this summer, we were "light" on them this summer for some reason. We did take a few cool pictures at the last one though. (I'll have to post them later - the photo upload isn't working so well.)

I've decided to make my now famous crab corn chowder tomorrow/later today, a sure sign that Autumn is here. I am so all about soups, stews, hot drinks and general comfort food as the colder days and darker nights settle in. Yummmmm, I think I hear some hot tea calling my name now. Good night, good morning and Happy Fall! =)

Cat Class & Cat Style

Went to the Santa Barbara Bowl Friday night to see The Pretenders & The Stray Cats in concert. There was another band that opened, but I didn't see them and can't recall the name. The show was great, both Brian Setzer and Chrissie Hynde were inspirational with non-stop energy, solid vocals and truly rockin' guitars. I hope I look that fabulous in knee high boots at 57 years old. No, seriously! It also made me very curious to research other songs she has written, she has a very interesting songwriting style that appeals to me.

I am really grateful because it wasn't a concert I probably would have gone to on my own, I was invited and I wasn't even all that excited about it at first. I have always loved the Stray Cats, but I had forgotten how much I like the Pretenders, and did not realize how much I would just enjoy the music that I didn't know or remember. When Brian jumped on stage with the Pretenders, I could feel the electricity in the air, they play well together and had a good natural musical rapport. Thanks Tia, I really did have so much fun!

Things I learned about the Bowl are:
get stadium seat cushions: stadium benches hurt after a while and you can't just stand up and dance the entire show or the people behind you get a little testy

parking sucks, get there early

hotel rooms are hard to come by this time of year - book early

the glasses of wine are HUGE for a concert venue - nice bonus

prepare to meet your seat neighbors, they pack you in very tight on the stadium benches - Bunny who sat next to me was a lovely, slightly chatty woman, that I found just a bit overwhelming - though she was very nice and in fairness I am sure sitting down in between a bunch of strangers who are clearly there together, when you are by yourself - is a bit daunting.