California's Central Coast

Morro Bay Lighted Boat Parade

Ragged Point

One day it's 80 degrees and the next there was a shark sighting...

Big Sur Unleashed

BIG SUR!!!

Yesterday, I unleashed myself from my computer and went with a friend to Big Sur for lunch. My friend was taking me to lunch for staying at my house while I was in England. It was a wonderful opportunity to sit back, relax, let someone else do the driving and enjoy the Pacific Ocean and the Big Sur area. We went to my FAVORITE restaurant, Nepenthe. It sits high on a cliff with a wonderful view of the ocean and the coastline.


We had the special - a bbq chicken salad sandwich - it was divine with some soup. The weather was a different treat for me. I always plan my trips to Big Sur when the weather is warm and clear, but yesterday was cool and foggy. After lunch, we ventured down to the outdoor cafe and enjoyed a peanut butter cookie (warm from the oven!!!) and hot chocolate with whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon. A special treat of a day!!!

Beautiful paintings in the Nepenthe gift shop rest rooms.

Outdoor cafe at Nepenthe - just beautiful!!!

The base of this fountain was a carved wood bird with water coming out of the mouth.

Rock walls adorn the hillside of Nepenthe.

These comfy 'seat's make the wait at Nepenthe a real treat - the view is of the ocean and the beautiful hills.

Beautiful glass mosaic area at Nepenthe.

We stopped at Ragged Point and walked out to the end of the path for a spectacular view. The railing had so many carvings on it - a little bit of creative history.

Now, to make up for some time away...

Check out the hummingbird...

My week...a spur of the moment trip up the coast, White Christmas, crafting, delightful food, delightful friends... This was a very interesting week, one with MANY twists and turns, all thoroughly enjoyable.

On Tuesday, I found out a big deadline I was working on got extended a few days, so with that freedom (plus I was super stressed out and knew I needed to chill), I jumped in my car and went north on Highway 1 along the coast. My plan was to head up the coast for about an hour to Ragged Point and have lunch - but something made me whiz on by there and with the many twist and turns of Highway 1 I found myself at my favorite restaurant in Big Sur. Lunch was fantastic, overlooking the Big Sur coastline. The weather was fabulous and the drive up and back was great - hardly any traffic which let me pull into turnout after turnout to observe the mighty ocean below. I turned up the tunes real loud (thanks Miss Frances for Beyonce!!!) and found myself pulling into places I'd been before like Ventana Inn - they now have nice wood chaise lounges overlooking the ocean and I found myself basking in the warm sun not wanting to leave.

Wednesday was the newcomer's luncheon at a country club about 1/2 an hour away - it was absolutely spectacular - the view out the huge windows was of the surrounding hills with beautiful vineyards. We were all chattering about wearing our holiday finest - sweaters, jackets, etc. and it being 72 degrees outside - ahhh, the life of living at the coast (I had been emailing with friends back in Fresno and they were socked in with fog and freezing). I got introduced as being on the new board - some people were amazed that I was a new member (4 months) and already volunteering for a position - it's who I am, I wouldn't have it any other way. The food was wonderful and we had a presentation by a local high school choir of holiday songs.

Wednesday night and Thursday morning were spent doing freelance work. I literally had pieces and parts of projects everywhere in my tiny place. I got a phone call from a high school classmate saying he'd be in town in ten minutes and inviting me to dinner. I did the 8 minute scurry clean-up. Thing is, I have been to his house for meetings and he is one meticulous person, but, oh well. As we walked out of the restaurant, the sun was absolutely gorgeous right in front of us setting over the ocean!!! We stood there watching the sunset and I couldn't help but say outloud - "This is MY life."

Friday night was so delightful - Cheryl Ball, her sister Krissy and I got dressed up in our holiday attire, went to a steakhouse for dinner - I don't have steak that often, so it was a wonderful treat (was yummy for breakfast this morning too!) and then we were off to watch a production of White Christmas - it was absolutely amazing!!! We even got snowed on in the audience.

I woke up to rain this morning but as the morning progresses, the sun is shining and the ocean is beautiful. I need to play catch-up today after all my fun actives this week, so it's a working weekend for me. I'm not boo-hooing, cuz I had a delightful week.

Take care,

Joan

Big Sur

Ahhh....Big Sur!!!

I have been to Big Sur many times, but I am always enchanted with the beauty.

This last weekend the weather was spectacular, the wildflowers were in bloom and I saw so many new things.

Vacation...

In looking back over the last week, many wonderful things came to mind...

1. Seeing tons of whales along the coast spouting and flipping their tails - awesome and perhaps the highlight!

2. Learning how to ballroom dance (and actually liking it!)

3. Doing skits and improv (OK, I'm still a little uncomfortable with this, but I did it)

4. Having two massages and hearing the lull of the ocean just below me

5. Meeting people from all walks of life and leaving as friends

6. Seeing a May Pole Dance (how fun and colorful!)

7. Delicious food that I didn't have to cook!

8. Seeing and 'drinking' in the ocean for 8 days!

9. Doing lots of creative things - collage, painting, etc...

10. Sleeping in and taking naps!

OK, 11. Seeing a totally Snoopyed out car - it was parked next to me at a hotel - amazing! Even the door lock knobs were Snoopy

Oh, yeah! On my way home, something hilarious happened and also signaled that I had had a completely relaxing weekend - I was out in the middle of nowhere and needed gas. I slid my credit card into the machine and it asked me to input my zip code - I COULDN'T REMEMBER WHAT MY ZIP CODE WAS!!! Thank goodness I had some paperwork in my car that had it on it - yikes!

Early Present!

Don't you just love it when something totally unexpected happens?

Well, it did for me this week, but it actually started back in October...

I took this photo on my way home from my vacation at Big Sur - I stopped by the road to take a picture of a beautiful lighthouse and looked down to see some rusty barbed wire. Being a farm girl, it intrigued me and I snapped a couple pictures. It wasn't until I got the enlargements back that I realized there was a spider web clinging to the wire - it doesn't really show up in the above image.

The good news - on a whim, I submitted 5 photos to a JURY for a "fine art exhibit" at a local winery. I was thrilled to get the letter this week that one of my photos was selected for display at the Quady Winery during the Madera County Wine Trail in February.

This is TOTALLY out of the box for me, so it will be very interesting - there is even an Artist's Social with a dinner party at the winery!

Strange thing is, I wasn't going to submit that particular photo...

One never knows, so grab that brass ring and go for it - TODAY!!!

Joan

Vacation memories...
OK, I'm finally caught up for the moment with laundry, work and all that good stuff to do after a vacation and I want to tell you about my FANTASTIC vacation.

I left home on Sunday morning, driving up Highway 1 - one of the most magnificent drives on earth! The highway (not really a highway, it's one lane each way) is on the cliffs with huge dropoffs to the ocean. Needless to say, you want to leave plenty of time to arrive at your destination on this road. I followed some old restored Woody cars for miles, not caring that they were only going 20 miles an hour on the curvy road.

I arrived at my destination, Esalen, about 25 miles from Monterey. There are not enough words to describe this 160+ acres of paradise on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The grounds are sprinkled with flowers in every color of the rainbow and the grass is a green that can't be described. The peace that immediately enveloped me was incredible. We were treated to the freshest fruits and vegetables at every meal, mostly grown on the premises. I love monarch butterflies (something that shows up in a lot of my past projects) and I happened to be there when monarch butterflies were EVERYWHERE drifting with the wind.

I arrived about 45 minutes before my scheduled 1 hour and 15 minute massage. I had plenty of time to soak in the mineral soaking tubs taking me deeper into my peacefulness - cue the beautiful ocean, the sound of waves, the smell of the ocean and a warm day. The massage room was like no other I'd seen - the front wall (facing the ocean) was floor to ceiling and wall to wall glass doors. My masseuse opened the doors and let in the incredibly powerful sounds of the ocean and the balmy October breeze. Near the end of my massage, she placed a cloth over my eyes and I was left to relax and get up when I felt like it...I do believe I fell asleep.

The workshop I attended was called Awakening the Creative (from the Esalen catalog) is a journey into the wild territory of painting directly from intuition, an unpredictable venture into color, form and image where no rules apply. The potential is to tap into an extraordinary resource: the vibrant, driving force of your own creative spirit - Awakening the Creative is an opportunity to embark on the greatest of all human journeys: embracing your own path and confidently following it.

The workshop was so incredible. Stewart and Sarah guided me through my darkness to clear my way for my new future - what that is I'm still working on. Their guidance took what I had painted and with their gentle nudge or suggestion lead me to discover even more about the things deep within me. Who knew a little paint could lead to a life changing experience.

I was sad to leave Esalen and the people who nurtured me during that week. I know in my heart that I will take one (or more) of Stewart's workshops and I will certainly head back to Esalen very soon.

If you look real close you can see red paint on my shoes as I relax overlooking the ocean at Esalen.

Until next time! Enjoy!
Joan

My Vacation...














I have so much to tell you about my amazing week in Big Sur, but I am at a loss of words for the moment.

I will gather my thoughts and post them this week.



Can you guess what this is? It has to do with crafting, but not where you usually find all these beautiful gems and ribbons. Details and more pictures later!

Have a grand week!

Joan

Old Stuff & Upcoming FUN Stuff...

OK, here it is almost October and I have some super fun things planned!

Next Friday is my friend Frances' wedding and I'm honored to be one of the bridesmaids. She's been planning a wedding that we can't wait for! She is a craft designer and she's letting her creative talents shine through! From wonky cakes (her words) with several odd shaped layers of different flavored cakes and fillings to lighted cake stands to games on the tables so no one gets bored. It's an outdoor wedding at a beautiful setting up near Sequoia National Park. I'll post pictures next weekend. My dress has awesome beads on it and a few had fallen off, so I got out my trusty Aleene's Jewel-It Glue and glued them down so I don't have to worry about them falling off.

The next night is an event that I'm terribly excited about! I'm going to a Second Chance Prom! It's at a local country club and it's sure to be fun. I found the perfect dress and it was only $15 - it pays to shop those bargain basement places! My mom happened to be with me when I was shopping and I kept thinking we should have been doing this when I was 16! It's being put on by the event coordinator for a large chain of department stores so it should be spectacular!

Then, soon thereafter, I'm headed off on vacation - something I haven't done in a year! I'm headed to Big Sur - for those that don't know about Big Sur - it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It's along the rugged California Coast right on the cliffs - cliffs on one side, ocean on the other with a huge dropoff. I'm taking an expressive painting class and just have to call today and make my reservation for a massage that's right on the cliffs with the peaceful ocean waves in the background...yum! AND, no cell phone reception and no computer access...that will be interesting.

Speaking of vacations, I couldn't sign off without a picture from my vacation last year - if you're an Aleene's fan, you'll see one of your old friends, Pattie Donham...we had an awesome time in Hawaii!!!!

Take care, have fun and happy creativity!
Joan