Africa's calling

This morning around 7am my husband and I were each sitting at our computers, he trying to make final arrangements for our upcoming trip, me, trying to learn a little German. Hee hee. Go here

for Angela's very informative tutorial.

Then, the phone rang. My husband answered,

"Yes! We are awake"

I am not doing well with the lesson at all since one ear is on his conversation, I hear parts of sentences...

"Botswana, Yes"

"tented camp? Great"

"game drive, evening too?"

Now I am not learning German at all and I write a hasty comment to my dear teacher Geli, put down my computer and put all my attention on the telephone.

Africa is on the phone!!!

My husband keeps looking at me and smiling,

once giving me the thumbs up.

He hangs up, looks at me and we both sit and grin.

Big BIG grins.

Can you believe it? Africa was on our phone.

55 more days,

counting down begins...

xxx love, lori

watching grass grow

Saturday morning we woke at 5 am for the days adventure. The plan was to photograph the Guadalupe Dunes, one of our favorite places, it's only about an hour and a half north of us.

When we arrived we found fog. The dunes were hardly visible. So we ate the breakfast I prepared the night before (mini crustless quiches, banana bread and a thermos of chai, yum) and hoped it might clear.

It didn't. So, we decided on plan B.

Here is a sign for the Western Snowy Plover. They are protected here at the dunes by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Plan B.
We'd visit the oceanside town of Shell Beach. Mostly we pass this charming little town traveling up and down the coast. Today we got a closer look.
For a very different view, you can rent a kayak and go for a paddle.


...look at the dramatic rock formations on the beach...
...there goes a group now...
...while my husband was waiting for the perfect shot from up above, I wandered around on the beach to see what I could see...

...limpets...

...tide pools disappearing...

...pieces of beach glass and shimmery shells and seaweed...

...now I'm back up top and looking down to my husband, who is still waiting for that shot. Sometimes it takes time. Most times it takes time. I wave to him, see you honey! he knows I'm going to do some more exploring...

...or daydreaming... (i like this photo, but it seemed kind of empty so I practiced some haiku on it, better? hmmm...)

...He got his photos, and we decided to drive on. Up the coast an hour further we made Montana de Oro State Park our next destination. This place is one of my favorites of California's Parks. It's so rugged and wild, and not the easiest to get to. There is so much to do here. There are trails all over the place, some are for hiking, some for mountain bikes, some for horses. All the trails are well marked. We thought we could be here for a week and never run out of things to do. There are a couple good places to camp so we looked around for the future.

Indian Paintbrush

We arrived around noon so had some time to spend before heading out on the trails for pictures. We went in the visitor centre...

Monkey flower

...I went exploring on this trail,while Chuck was at the truck. See it? Our truck? that tiny white dot? Hi honey! I'm on Rattlesnake Flats trail, don't worry about me!

...back at the truck, I teach Husband to play solitaire on my phone, and we wait...

...and wait...

...and wait. and even took a little nap in the warm truck, ah...bliss.

In case your wondering why my feet look huge, i grabbed Chuck's socks instead of mine. And then i got blisters on our hike. That'll teach me to pack in the dark... :)

As we headed out on the Bluff trail we passed people on their way back. Most of the time we were alone, just us and the birds, vultures, bunnys, lizards and butterflies. Oh and the wind.

...I don't know the temps but it was cold and windy, I was glad I'd brought my warmest jacket and hat...

...we walked along this trail for a couple of hours, stopping here and there to wonder at the spectacular views, take photos and talk about everything we'd seen...

...here is my lovely and talented husband standing next to the edge of a cliff, again, to get his photo... I've learned to be very patient

and look the other way...

Montana De Oro ~ Mountain of Gold

Bye for now.

We found a fantastic little Mexican food restaurant on the way home, so tiny and charming there were only 6 tables. After ordering 2 Negra Modelo beers, so perfect with the homemade tortilla chips and salsa, i checked my mail and messages. It was ok, Chuck was watching the surf movie on the pretty flat screen (which we don't have, and won't get any time soon!). And now it was the perfect ending to the day...all the kids were good, checked in and all, great. And then this: mail from Bali!

My son had made it, he was fine and already found surf, said it was beautiful and the people were all so nice.

He was happy.

So, you know of course, now, so am I.

Cheers!

xxx love, lori

learning to breathe

It's hard to review a book.

I mean, it's hard to write a review about a book that I love and hope someone else will too.

I've started this post ten times and each time I crumpled it up, well, the computer equivalent, which is the back button, i guess.

So, I'll forget the fact that I'm not a book reviewer and just say what I feel.

Read this book.

Learning to Breathe by Alison Wright is a spiritual memoir that will fill you with compassion and love, appreciation for life. And if your like me, jealousy. Sorry! is that bad? Alison, if you are reading this, by one chance in a million billion, I would say that I was jealous of you. Maybe not your terrifying experience per se, but how you handled it. And the rest of your life. And your photos. Dear Lord, Buddha and Allah, they are phenomenal.

And is it OK that I quote from a book?

Again, Alison, if you are reading, I hope you won't mind, because what you have to say here perfectly reflects my heart.

"I hoped that when they were old enough they too would expand their world by traveling to other lands, to be influenced by this magical planet and the people who touch their lives, and to do so with love in their hearts and awareness in their souls ~ appreciating everyone they meet for each is a teacher in some way."

I've tried to teach my children this. Each one is becoming an earth traveler in his or her own right. I tell them Love is a universal language. And mostly I tell them to be aware of each moment. Because like Alison teaches us.

It is all we have.

If you are like me and want to know more about this incredible person(and see her photographs) you can go to http://www.alisonwright.com/

it is a treat

i promise.

xxx love, lori

getting away

(my picture of a postcard, no photographer noted)

Anyone desiring a perfect weekend getaway need look no further than Cambria, California...

...often described as the Jewel of the Central Coast, Cambria is a beautiful oceanside village with something for everyone, shops, galleries, quality restaurants, hiking trails, and beach walks ...

....my sister, her friend and I drove up this weekend for a little get~a~way...

...we all decided we'd have no agenda, we would do whatever we felt like for two whole days! no work, no laundry, dishes or kids...

...one of the things I like best about Cambria is the fact that there isn't any cell phone towers nearby, so the phones were put away...

...and with no phones ringing, we were free to concentrate on each other and the quiet of this charming creekside town, for me, that's heaven!...

...we walked and walked, peeking in and around every little shop, I like this deer here, and the pretty mirror...

...we loved this place, with beautiful music playing and this welcoming sign, the shop owner didn't mind me taking this photo...

...there's my sister and Alicia enjoying the beautiful weather. The sun was shining with temperatures in the 60's.

The Three Runaways

Alicia, Lindy and me!

...lunch would have been the predictable thing to do in the afternoon, so we had cocktails instead, ...

...and then walked and talked some more...

...best Lobster Bisque in California... If you go, and you order the Bisque, let me know what you think...

...can you see her? this was the meadow outside our hotel...

...and their fenced in yard...

Four miles north of town at San Simeon you will find the home of the Elephant Seals.These amazing creatures mate, birth, sleep and fight here at San Simeon. In this picture you can see the difference between a two ton adult male and a newly weaned pup (around 300 pounds) around 3 months old. The mother's are gone now, leaving the pups to learn to fend for itself, I think the statistics say 1 in 3 survive.

Here is why they are called Elephant Seals. See the proboscis on this big male. The sound that comes out of there is similar to an outboard motor. And so loud! Can you see the baby in the little pool right behind him?

Here are a couple of the kids now! these weaned pups are teaching themselves to swim. Be careful you two, it's a big ocean out there.

"The Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris , is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5000 feet deep for periods of fifteen minutes to two hours, and migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting and rest. The Piedras Blancas rookery, on Highway 1 seven miles north of San Simeon on the California Central Coast, is home to about 15,000 animals. The area is open for viewing every day of the year and there is no admission fee or reservation required."
Friends of the Elephant Seal ~ to learn more you can go to

http://www.elephantseal.org/

...our state flower, the poppy, is already in bloom...

Time to head home, back to the cell phone zone. But happily renewed and with a few souvenirs...

...a tiny vintage petal sugar and creamer, just the right size for doodle tea parties...

... and a beautiful old copy of Merry Men to add to my Robert Louis Stevenson book collection. Fantastic.

Tonite my middle son is on a plane heading for Indonesia,

his first solo adventure,

a dream surf trip,

please be careful son, it's a big ocean out there.

love, Mom ~ Lori