traveling

hello from california's central (and northern) coast! we are traveling, on a road trip (and boat trip). this adventure is a bit different (for us) and is actually three adventures in one. part one and two are complete (mission accomplished!) and so the most fun part, part three is left, which we are on right now!

part one ~ 

a few hours up the coast, san simeon ~ we spend the evening watching the surf, the sunset and eating fish and chips, and waiting for friends to arrive.

next morning, we all head north to big sur

 in big sur, we cart and carry one kayak, two paddleboards, paddles and several days of equipment and food over a mile down to the beach

making preparations

there they go, can you see the 3 of them out at sea? i watched and made my wishes for nearly an hour, and then slowly began the hike back alone.


part two ~

on my own in big sur i went to my favorite place, nepenthe. such a beautiful day! i ate lunch, knit and watched three acorn woodpeckers and one stellar's jay in the tree directly in front of me!

this is the bathroom at nepenthe. the art painted on the walls is so lovely, everytime i see it it's a thrill. 

 went to the henry miller memorial library next

found a couple books and a tote

 at the hotel (one of the books, and the tote, and knitting!)

 another day i went to hearst castle

 even though i've taken all the tours a few times, i could take the upstairs tour a dozen more (or even more!). the library is amazing. each guide offers something a bit different too, different stories and anecdotes. this time i learned that first lady grace coolidge was once trapped in the elevator. when she was finally found and asked if she were okay, she answered yes, she could yodel and she had her knitting.

part two and a half ~

the adventurers arrive! they'd kayaked and standup paddleboarded 36 miles of big sur coast. returning safe, healthy and happy = successful adventure.


part three ~

patrick and will head back to their homes and families

and now, time for chucks and my adventure together. we spend time with the elephant seals

central coast zebras, and then head north...

to san francisco

then marin county

our bed and breakfast came with chickens  :)

this place!

heading further north still, point reyes seashore

point arena lighthouse, mendocino (we are in the top of the lighthouse!)

and because this happened nine years ago today, we are staying at our favorite place on the entire california coast to celebrate...

here. we'll be back soon, there is so much to share about mendocino and magical alegria!

thank you, as always, for coming along! xxx lori

morning gold

i woke to my phone ringing. "honey? are you awake?"
"(now i am) :) yes, where are you?"
"down at the beach. would you like to go for a paddle?"

morning was utterly spectacular, the light danced, reflected off the sea, it glittered and shone in shades of silver and gold. we watched cotton ball clouds advance over the santa ynez mountains. and we searched the horizon for dolphins as we paddled up the coast. two hours later, with no sign of our cetacean friends appearing, we left nature's playground for hot coffee and a blueberry pancake breakfast.
i hope you find magic in this mid october week.
xxxxxxxxxx lori

good little things

my photo appeared in this book! the image is of my husband chuck standup paddleboarding the owen's river, in the eastern sierras, california. through partially frozen water, i paddled my kayak, to get this photo. taken with a vintage pentax super me, and black and white ilford film. our mountain ~ river adventure was written about here. thank you very much photographer's forum!

a new shawl just off the needles, more photos to come, it's so very coldfoggyrainy outside i am happier just now to stay indoors...

(shawl blocking the other evening)

p.s. chuck has a new website for his photography, we're very excited about it. it can be tricky to get it just the way you'd like. if you would like to have a look, go here. my favorite is stock list, africa is in there! i hope you are staying warm and cozy this weekend. xoxo

alegria

 beautiful

faces

alegria (a*le*gri*a) joy, a light spirit

in the village of mendocino, at an enchanting refuge by the sea, we stayed our first two nights
in alegria, ocean front inn and cottages. tucked between the 'tree house' and 'garden', 'driftwood', our cottage, was the perfect place to nest for romantic days and nights. with a loft bed, wood burning fireplace and hot tub (cozy robes included!) we wanted to move in. the dining room is in the main house, with stunning views of the rugged coast. steps away is a private path to the beach. alegria was the perfect getaway and we can't wait to return. we noticed someone else felt the same...each cottage has a hand painted sign above the entry, but driftwoods was missing. i understand the desire to take home a piece of this magical place. for more information about alegria ~ ocean front inn and cottages go here. thank you alegria for the incredible experiance, we loved our time here!

we've been visiting friends. craig is the owner of kayak mendocino. craig and chuck met for photos of kayaking and standup paddling. we all met at the farmers market (sweet pea bouquet a gift from chuck!) and in the evening, dinner at their home in the redwoods. to learn more about kayaking off the medocino coast (which is spectacular) contact craig at kayak medocino here.

really good news! mendocino has a yarn shop. (hee hee) a beautiful yarn shop. chuck met me there, chose wool for a new hat (it took him less than three minutes) while one hour later i was still making decisions. all the wonderful choices! a lovely handpainted silk merino ended up coming home with me. and a 'happy knitting' project bag. those are always nice to have i think. for more information about mendocinos charming (and excellent) yarn shop, go here.

and the eighty year old woman pictured in this post? alegria. not her name, but i like to think it was, with her joyful light and spirit, the spirit of mendocino. tomorrow we're staying at a new (to us) bed and breakfast in the village, thank you so much for all the lovely anniversary wishes.
xxx lori