These are from our drive through Wyoming just a few days ago. We somehow slipped through a little crack in the storm in order to avoid the worst of the weather, but the clouds were beautiful, especially with the mountain background.
It’s definitely winter, and the holidays are just around the corner!
I have a fascination with sunsets. That much is clear. But finding the perfect sunset? I’ve found a few, and this one comes close. But I’ve never worked as hard to find a gorgeous sunset as I did on Thanksgiving this year. To make room for our big turkey dinner, we hiked up the ridge above Shell Beach. Pismo Beach was to the South and Avila Beach was to the North. It only took 2 miles and about 600 vertical feet, but we finally found the perfect spot. Our reward? A 2010 Roche Syrah, and a beautiful sunset.
Happy sunsetting.
Meg has been on a “sabbatical” from our blog for just over one month. I only see her smiling face on a fleeting basis. Here is my last “Facetime” contact with Meg a couple of days ago. Despite her busy schedule she is still smiling. “Smile Meg”:
Meg will be back in just over a month. Now it is time for me to take a brief “hiatus”. By definition, I think, a hiatus is shorter than a sabbatical. Consistent with that concept, Terry and I will only be gone briefly. We have been in a mad scramble to get all our projects in order to have this wonderful opportunity to take a break.
Our bags are packed and we are ready to go:
Casey will spend a week as a farm dog, living in the country with his friends, Dick and Patti. He was very sad to see us leave. We are sorry we can’t take him with us:
Terry and I will be traveling. When we get home I hope we wonderful photographs to show, and great adventures to talk about. Until we return, I hope your lives, and ours, are filled with adventure. I categorized this post under “Family History” because, for all of us, these are times we will remember for the rest of our lives. I will be back in a week. Meg will be back by November 15.
And so, dear friends, be well. Peace!
The casual life style and nonchalance of Bodega Bay is evidenced by this enchanting–if deteriorated–cottage near the coast in Northern California. “Suits Us” suggests the relaxed lifestyle of the people who live there. It is the goal of many who travel there. Who needs elegance when you are minutes from one the world’s beautiful beaches?
May the quality of our lives be determined by the beauty, joy and meaning we find around us rather than the number of dollars we have to spend.
It is the last days of summer. Vacations have ended. The summer crowd has left the beaches. I comfort myself with a friend’s reminder that much as we love summer, winter is when things happen.
Still, we already yearn for the return of the lazy days of summer!
My husband’s younger brother, Derek, was out for a visit last week. It was his first time to California. Naturally, I wanted him to see the ocean, and maybe a few of the wonders the California Coast has to offer.
We started our day driving out D Street to Point Reyes Station. We turned South on Hwy 1, and down the coast we went. There is always a lot to see when driving the coastline, but here are a few of my favorites.
First, the view looking north from Muir Beach Outlook.
Next, we walked through Muir Woods, which is absolutely one of my favorite places out here. The trees are like giants. Some of them were even standing long before we declared our independence from Britain. Amazing.
I continue to be amazed at how much beauty surrounds us here in California. The views are stunning, the open spaces vast, and the magic of the redwoods truly humbling. I hope you are able to visit these amazing places, and appreciate them as much as I do.
There is something magical about living near the ocean. Knowing that I can drive a short distance and stare out at the open sea, well, that is one of the reasons I love living here. With everything going on in life, sometimes I just need to clear my head. Somehow staring out at the ocean gives me a sense of peace. It’s like meditating.
These are a few of my favorites from the California coast. We have Bodega Bay, Point Reyes, Muir Beach Outlook, and Stinson Beach. Can you tell which is which? (If not, you can just hover over the picture and a description will pop up.)
There are so many great places to take beautiful photographs here. Who knows what I’ll stumble upon next!
Jake and I visited the de Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to see the special exhibit on fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. The exhibit, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: from the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” is currently running at the de Young until August 19, 2012. The exhibit features designs from the 1970s through the 2010. To give you an idea of Gaultier’s approach, this is the first thing you see when you walk toward the entrance to the exhibit.
Madonna, Lady Gaga and other celebrities have worn his designs while on tour. His designs are provocative, highly sexual in nature, and reflect the multi-cultural and transgender world of Paris in the 1970s, when Gaultier began as a designer.
I realized part way through the exhibit that I wasn’t taking pictures. Why? Because I was completely entranced with all the crazy designs! Gaultier’s work does have that shock factor, but I also admire his ability to communicate through design. The mannequins at the exhibit’s entrance are facing you when you walk in, but then you see eyes and faces staring at you, and moving! Are they real models? No, they are projections, but it is almost impossible to tell unless you look at them from the side.
The exhibit was incredible. I highly recommend visiting the de Young, both for the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit and for the permanent exhibits in the museum. It is a modern structure, which is very different from the Legion of Honor we visited earlier in the day, but the setting is just as beautiful, and the artwork incredible. Once again, thank you Auntie and Tio for such an incredible day!
To see more about the exhibit, please visit the de Young website here.
Enjoy!
Last Monday, May 21st, Jake and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary. Actually, we didn’t really get the chance for a proper celebration because we were both swamped with work. So what to do in such a situation? Follow up with a romantic getaway, of course! So after our crazy week of work, we dropped the kids off at puppy camp (Two Rock Dog Ranch, quite possibly the happiest place on earth for the kids while we’re out of town!), hopped in the jeep, and drove a few hours south to Monterey.
Our drive down Hwy 1 to Monterey was quite beautiful. It is such a beautiful part of the country! Monterey is a fun coastal town, with plenty of attractions for visitors to enjoy. Parts of Monterey, such as Cannery Row, are a bit touristy, but it is a lovely place to visit and great for a weekend getaway from the bay area. Just south of Cannery Row, along the water, you can easily get to Lover’s Point, which is a beautiful little spot. Further down the coast (literally just a few minutes walking distance) is Pacific Grove, which is a beautiful town full of coastal character and beautiful B&Bs. Next time, we may try to stay somewhere in PG right along the water.
When we got to Monterey on Saturday, we went straight to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. What an amazing place! There were so many exhibits to see in such a short time. Touch pools. Jellyfish. Sea otters. Birds. Sea turtles. We could have spent the entire weekend there and still had more to enjoy.
I think my favorite exhibit in the whole aquarium was the upstairs jellyfish exhibit. It is amazing to see so many different kinds of jellies. Being 95% made of water and lacking respiratory, central nervous and digestive systems, they certainly are such odd-looking creatures. They range in size from a millimeter to around two meters in bell height, and are thought to be one of the oldest multi-organ animals at over 500 million years old. There were moon jellies, upside-down jellies, spotted jellies, blubber jellies, lion’s mane jellies.
But the fun didn’t stop there. We saw penguins. And then we saw sea horses. And sharks! Of course, the sharks were in a huge tank, and the lighting was terrible for taking pictures. But there was something magical about sitting in a 2-story room in the dark and staring at a giant tank. It almost seemed like you were getting a peak at life in the ocean, which I suppose is exactly what they try to simulate for the visitors. I highly recommend going if you ever get the chance.
We finished the day with a walk around Cannery Row and then a visit to the 1st annual Clam Chowder and Calamari festival. The calamari wasn’t that great, but the festival was a blast. Music, dancing, wine. A great end to a great day!
Jake and I were in Kansas City for a quick visit this weekend. Jake was in the first of three wedding we’ll be attending in KC this year. We barely sat down for a second the whole weekend, but it was great to see family and visit some of our old favorites.
Our first stop on Saturday morning (after a brisk run around Loose Park, of course) was Jake’s personal request: breakfast at Eggtc. It’s definitely one of the best places around, and for us it’s very convenient. Right at the intersection of 51st and Main. I highly recommend it. Plus, the restaurant on the corner has such wonderful phrases painted in the window.
Later in the day, Mum and I drove out South to drop Jake off at the church to get ready with the boys. On our way back, we stopped at one of my personal favorites: Topsy’s. I’ve been going there since I was a little person. They make a delicious cherry limeade.
On Sunday, we were lucky enough to get to see some of the family on our way back to the airport. My cousin Jon and his wife Dana are pregnant, so Mum and I (okay, mostly Mum) put together a little celebration brunch. A short visit, indeed, but always wonderful to see the Mesle clan. My granddad, who turned 97 last October, still joins us in the festivities.
So after a very short weekend, Jake and I headed home to California. We are always sad to leave Kansas City, but it does make it a little easier that we get to come home to sunshine, coastlines, and wine country. It’s a good life.
Shifting the Balance 