Giving Thanks

THANK YOU!

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Thank you for continuing to be here with me

Thank you to Hazel and Liz and Marti

for goodies in the mail!

I appreciate your generosity...and YOU!

Thank you to Dana for her last post, which inspires me to keep at it.

Thank you to J. for taking me to our Emma Wood today.

I'm so grateful this is but a car ride away!

 ~AS ALWAYS CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE~

While J. put gas in the car, I noticed this fruit on a nearby palm tree.

I've never seen this before, so I'll be doing some reading on that soon!

I've been watching gardening videos at night, so my eye was on the plant life today.

The highway towards the sea, showed overcast, lightly brownish sky ahead.

 

Many rocks grabbed our attention...

the holey ones ~ one with a barnacle tucked inside,

the beautifully orb-like one,

and the two layered one, 

which reminds me of the way Jude manages cloth layers!

Pretty cool, eh?!

It was foggy and about 30 degrees cooler than at home, 

there were bits of crabs and whole crabs too,

driftwood houses...

and this surf-sailor (forgot the name of this sport) out there...

on the sea, carried by the winds.

That person was out there on the water the entire time we were there!

These little outings are so needed,

but somehow hard for me to go do.

I listen to how high the covid numbers are here in CA

and I never want to leave home, no matter how stir crazy I may be.

Perhaps, the fact that my asthma is tricky on an every day basis,

impacts my viewpoint.

I can emphasize with the respiratory aspect of this illness.

May you get out when you need to

May you spend time with nature

May you remain grateful

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2020

Sock Monkey Goes to Emma Wood ~Safe for Young Viewers!

     

This is what is known as embracing the "stay-at-home"

aspect of the pandemic.

This is no way reflects my deeper feelings about the state of our country.

Even now as I type this, the news is on

and thick with the news of a firing, a funeral viewing and a statue removal,

along with the ever present and growing virus.

So we walk or read or weave or chat with loved ones or...?

A couple of days ago, I remembered and resurrected a few old iMovies

in my almost dead lap top and started playing around with them.

This particular one was created in 2011.

I cleaned it up a bit, adjusting the timing and sound effects, 

but not much more than that.

I have no interest in beginning again, but finishing.

I have a couple more in draft form and a couple of more that I'm still working on.

Anyway, enjoy!

xo

Road Trip ~ Part 2

After heading down the road, through Big Sur,

We stayed in Morro Bay on the Back Bay.

We love it there.

We could live there.

We spend time in our favorite haunts

and make new discoveries too

 We actually pull over to enjoy the stunning sunset 
and roaming zebras and cows near 
Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA.
You can't beat these views!

I could have stood there forever!

At home on the Back Bay, this was a gray trip.
The birds didn't care, so of course, we didn't care either!
We did lots of exploring in the rain!

We stop at our usual stores...
books and music!

I buy "The Stranger in the Woods"...
which I've almost finished already!
That tells you that I am enjoying it quite a bit!
It is a fascinating story and leaves me learning and imagining.
The music store is a kick, the 30 year owner is so nice!

Crusin' around town and the Back Bay,
I imagine a life on the coast...
where the air smells of salt
where the pace is slower
and the folks are friendly
Dreamy

We discover Montana de Oro State Park
and truck across the rocky beach, even though it is raining and cold.
So fun.

Driving through the eucalyptus groves,
I think of all of you who dye with these leaves,
especially Nat!

We agreed that we need to return in the Spring or Summer
when we could hike more.
But, truthfully, I don't even care what the weather is like...
just to be.

Until then, I'll read purchased books from the two bookstores we visited
and I'll hold on to the memories stored in my new Big Sur ring!

May you have adventures that fill your heart
May you explore places dear to you
May you hold memories close
xo

Photographs by NAE ©2019

Days That feed Us

We took a drive out to our ocean today.

The need for salt air was huge.

 

  

Beautiful purple flowers greeted us, 

as did a charming driftwood teepee!

I have seen one so well built in a log time.

↔

It was gray and the breeze was cool and

although we had no jackets or hats...

we followed the path and then the ocean's edge for some time.

Seagull in flight ☺

Emma Wood has so many rocks and tons of driftwood.

I looked for small wishing rocks, but didn't see any.

My very small collection is here somewhere.

I only brought home 2 teeny driftwood to replace one I had that broke.

We joked about not collecting again! 

 ↔

On the way home we bought fresh strawberries 

and stopped to gaze at the amazing leeks growing and blooming

in the Santa Clara River Valley.

They looked like something from another world!

You can gaze too! 

 ↔

 ↔

Sometimes salt in our wounds is just what we need!

May your days be an adventure that

soars and floats giving things you want, need and don't even know you need!

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2019