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.

Top 10 lessons of this years 4th of July

Lessons learned:

1) A nap sometime during a 16 hour day of non-stop celebration may have been a good plan

2) Do not play bingo while intoxicated
3) Jello shots melt in a warm vehicle
4) Martini's in a box = bad idea
5) Fog is not conducive to actually seeing fireworks

6) Sunscreen is your friend
7) It's fun to get festive

8) Some pictures turn out - some don't - and some you really wish hadn't
9) Even religious vacation rental neighbors can be noisy
10) Our small town festivities simply rock

good quote today

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.
- Bertrand Russell

Luna Azul

There is a full moon tonight, the second one this month, which makes it a Blue Moon! They always feel auspicious to me. So a bunch of us have decided to go hang out at the beach, look at the moon and stars and make some wishes next to a raging bonfire and mother ocean. Wishing each of you beautiful rare occurrences, bright stars and a little bit of magic!

joost

beautiful days

what a glorious weekend we had last weekend, our little coastal town actually hit the low to mid 80's, a rare and beautiful surprise! Saturday, in honor of both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby, a friend and I went out for an afternoon of tapas and champagne at a local restaurant that has outdoor seating in a small garden that overlooks a creek full of ducks and playing children, which then led to a trip to the art supply store and the inspiration to have a good old fashioned "lets make art" party with two of my closest friends Saturday night. Sunday morning we went out for juevos rancheros and then on to 9 holes of golf at my favorite sea side course. The weather was still so nice at 5 pm that we headed out to the beach for an hour of sunbathing before going home to watch the Sopranos. As I sat on my porch looking out at my little peak of the ocean, I realized that I have been more relaxed and happier since I moved into my new house than I have been for a long time. I am such a sun girl, it was so lovely out and life has been bringing me such delightful joys lately, just beautiful days! Wishing you beautiful days too! :)

recent pics

A little bit country

I grew up on the floor of a "country & western" radio station with a father who was an on air personality of the first radio station in California. In those days, my father was considered as much a celebrity by his listeners as the performers themselves. One of his main duties was as Master of Ceremonies for most of the biggest events and concerts and consequently he spent a great deal of time with many of the performers, and often so did I.

Two years ago at Christmas, I begged my father for two of his prized possessions, Willie Nelson's cowboy hat - that he traded Willie for (I was told it was because Willie liked my dad's hat better) and one of the Nudie suits my Dad had custom made for his MC'ing days - a beautiful black suit with big white stars and to my delight he finally gave in. I got to wear the hat to a Willie Nelson concert a year or so ago, and I have a few ideas about where I may wear the suit soon.

Recently, I visited a museum of sorts that has a bunch of Nudie's suits on display and other similar memorabilia that was like walking through parts of my own memories, reminding me of the many famous musicians and movie stars I got to meet when I was little and throughout my growing up.

Nudie became famous because of his work and became known as the "Rodeo Tailor" but he made custom suits (most flashy - some not) for the famous for many years, in fact if memory serves me correctly, he made all of the clothing John Wayne wore in his movies. I have been thinking about Nudie quite a bit lately and what a nice man he was - he was so kind to me when I was a small child. He had the coolest backyard, with a huge playhouse for his granddaughters, full size statues of horses that we could play on, a stream with a bridge and in the stream was little gnomes and frogs and such, it was a small country version of Disneyland for me. He made me a rhinestone t-shirt and let me play in the shop where I remember meeting the Kendall's who happened to have just hit it big with what at the time was my favorite song; "Heavens Just a Sin Away" (funny I had no idea what that meant at the time).

All that to say that I stumbled across his website today and it just made me smile, he is a part of a history that many of you may not even realize you have seen his work. Check out the site, there are some great pictures! Be sure to check out his custom cars too, there aren't too many like those out in the world and it sure would be fun to ride in one again, although I doubt I'd fit in the saddle anymore! :)

Nudie The Rodeo Tailor

To top it all off, I am heading to Nashville in 3 weeks, to complete the walk down my country memory lane - really only odd because somehow I have never managed to visit there before. I admit that often I am not a huge fan of much of today's country music, but much of the old stuff is so intertwined with who I am, I am practically a walking old country jukebox. I cannot wait to see the grand ol' opry, some of the local songwriting bars, and just soak up a little of the shared history!

Belly dancing - shake everything you got!

One of the true joys in life is unexpected fun! Last evening, after suffering a long, somewhat stressful day at work, I got a phone call from a good friend inviting me to belly dancing lessons at a local community center. I only had 5 minutes to get ready and leave in enough time to get there on time, but I still heard myself say yes!

I am so glad I did, it was so much freakin' fun! The class was about an hour, there were probably 20 ladies in attendance and the instructor is a very Earth Mother type of woman who was so warm and welcoming and so glad we joined her class. The music was great, the community was great, my dancing was somewhat lacking, but I was smiling the whole time. We decided we are going to join the class which meets once a week and I have already been practicing. It was just what I needed, exactly when I needed it, I just love it when that happens!! :O)

Surf's up!

Morro Bay Surf Company (MBSC) Annual Pro Am Surf Competition - Cayucos- 3/24/07

Some really nice shots of a couple of my friends competing this weekend - check them out!

Spring Has Sprung

Officially spring is here, and I can sure feel it and it feels fabulous! It's gloriously sunny, butterflies fill the air and birds chirp happily from the trees. It's just so warm and lovely.

It is actually proving to be a little challenging to stay inside, so I have been gardening lately. I bought some fruit trees, flowers and strawberries and I managed to get them planted last weekend. There is still plenty more to do, but the progress feels nice and it is definitely looking prettier.

There is still a fair amount of rain and fog coming in the current forecasts, but I am soaking up every minute of sun I can. The rain we did get recently has turned all of the surrounding hillsides from brown to the beautiful emerald green I love so much.

The tourist season is starting too, the vacation rental houses and all the local businesses are getting spruced up in anticipation. It's shaping up to be another epic spring and summer, I think! Happy Spring and Happy Friday!!

Just out walking the turtle...

So my mom was here visiting the weekend before last and she went out front to walk down to the local market, but within about a minute of her leaving, I heard her step back onto the porch and come back into the house. Of course I made the obvious joke that she had been gone a long time and asked her what was up.

"You gotta come see this, there is a woman outside walking her turtle!" She explains.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask thinking I hadn't heard her correctly...

"There is a turtle, on a leash, being walked by a woman, I assume a neighbor of yours, outside, right now, come see." She replies speaking very slowly in case I am having trouble following her.

I walk outside and sure enough, there is a tortoise on a leash. So we proceed to say hello and ask how old he is, and if she walks him often, to which she replies that he is two and she takes him for walks about every other day or so. I have to say that this is both one of the oddest things I have ever seen here and also one of the coolest. :O)

Happy Valentines Day

Wishing you all lots of love!! Hope EVERY day is filled with loving thoughts, unexpected gifts and beautiful sights!!