More beach time!
I want to be this kid.
This little boy spent 30 minutes straight running back and forth through that puddle, first with all his clothes on, then, little by little, shedding the layers until he was blissfully naked.
Gives new meaning to the phrase, “No worries.”
Santa Barbara: Not what we expected
Palm trees and a flat beach. How simple.
I remember coming to Santa Barbara many years ago when the kids were still in school. We must have found some hidden gem in this town because our recent visit was nothing like the previous one. We had to drive over those mountains that surround the campground, which meant a lot of downhill stuff, seeing the ocean far away, then closer and closer until we were simply in the middle of traffic. Eventually we found the ocean, got out, walked the dogs and realized we were actually sweating! It was 75 degrees that day. We were dressed for 40 degrees. In any case, I managed to get a few photos.
on the beach in december, what a dream
I wanted to keep some of this kelp but Sam warned me it would just shrivle up and smell. He was right. At least I got a photo!
I was impressed with these cacti. They look like lotuses, without the flowers. They are all over SB.
Then I saw these in someone’s back yard. They look like poinsettas, or red sunflowers. Perfect!
As we were leaving I saw this guy working his way down the beach. He must’ve been 80, but he was determined to ride that boogie board.
I guess when you grow up near an ocean, you always want to go back. There is something so healing about just looking out at the horizon on a clear, warm day like this. And the feeling of the sand under your feet has to be good for your health. So, on this first day of 2014, my wish is to spend more days at the edge of the ocean.
Rancho Oso: Land of horses and campers
Today’s image of simplicity: Woodpecker on a pole
This campground was once a horse ranch. I guess it still is a horse ranch, just now there are campers living here too. It’s dusty and dry and definitely southwestern.
Rancho Oso is at the convergence of two mountain ranges just east of Santa Barbara. When you’re here you can only imagine the flat beach of Santa Barbara. These mountains dominate. We are in a canyon. The sun peaks over the eastern side at around 8:00 and sinks behind the western side at around 3:30–not much real daylight, but the daytime temperature is pleasant–70-80 degrees.
craggy mountains
If you love horses, this is the place to stay. They are everywhere. They are well fed and cared for and seem to know that this is their land. I caught this one hiding behind a stump.
horse in the sun
Something different from the regular Thousand Trails cabins. Cute, but small.
cabins
While we’re here we plan to go to Santa Barbara and maybe to Malibu. There is also a little Dutch town called Solvang which Sam used to visit when he was young. We’ll see how things evolve. You know, that whole thing about making plans, remember?
Christmas with the girls
Jennifer, Brenda and me
Me and Rebecca at Armstrong Woods
So, here’s some midlife stuff. One day you realize that your kids have grown up. And then you realize it again. And again. I’m surprised at myself since both of my daughters have been out of the house since they were teenagers. Now Jennifer is 35 and Rebecca is 30. They’ve struggled, but they’ve managed and they both seem happy. Still, mothers wonder, are they ok? Do they need anything? How can I help? Did I give them the tools they need to survive in this world? It has occurred to me (again) on this trip that they are both fine and maybe I was a good enough mother. That’s all we can hope for, right?
We spent some time with Rebecca on her birthday the week before Christmas. We went to dinner, then, the next day, to the redwoods where we had taken her many times before when she was in elementary school. She loved it, again. She only lives a few miles from this magical place. I really hope she visits here often. But that’s the mother in me again.
Look! She’s eating veggies!
Rebecca and Lani in a tree. Looks like he’s holding the tree open for her.
Rebecca wasn’t able to join us for Christmas dinner since she had a migraine. This was one of those moments when I felt the pull to “do something.” But she’s been dealing with headaches and fibromyalgia for several years now. I just texted her and wished her well even though my heart was breaking for her.
Jennifer and Brenda had prepared a nice dinner for us: prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and a Christmas kale salad which was just gorgeous. Oh yes, a real homemade pumpkin pie. The food was perfect. It was nice having a small intimate dinner with them. We caught up on stuff and took the dogs out to the park across the street.
Jennifer and her dogs
Sam and the dogs in the dog park
Jennifer and Brenda live in a part of Oakland that seems like an oasis of peace in the midst of chaos. Even though Oakland has a reputation of being rough, there are pockets of art and creativity and relative serenity. I think they may have found one. Here is the view from their street.
View of Oakland from 15th Street
When we drove back to the campground on Christmas night I felt kind of melancholy. Nevermind that my eyes were burning from what I now know is smog. Nevermind that I had a creeping headache from all the driving around. And nevermind that I was leaving them again and who knows when I will see them again? It was so familiar, and so unwelcomed. But I knew I had to feel it, again.
Thankfully, by the time we got home I realized that parents never feel “finished” with their children. And there never seems to be enough time to do and say what needs to be said and done. I can only hope that I have done and said enough to let them know that they are precious to me and I am very proud of them.
Saturday we will be officially moving on. We will stay in Santa Barbara for a little over a week, seeing Sam’s sister before we start to head east. This time we will be taking a route we haven’t taken before. In order to avoid the winter weather we will be driving as far south as possible on highway 10.
What lies ahead? Who knows? It’s the process that counts. Thanks for joining me.
Christmas Eve at the Boardwalk
A rare scene: No people.
We decided to go to Santa Cruz just one more time before we leave this coast. We had forgotten how windy the road was from 101 over the coast mountain range to the ocean. At least it was not so long that I got carsick. In any case, Santa Cruz seemed pretty low key for the day before Christmas.
One of many sailboats
Grandmother taking photo of kids
At the beach in December
The weather was perfect. People were out in their summer clothes, but something wasn’t right. I noticed that the air was still dirty even on the coast, and at this particular beach it smelled strongly of diesel. We didn’t stay long, but still it was nice to feel the sun on what should have been an overcast, gloomy day.
King of the tree and his rival
Hawk/Crow Stand-off. The hawk won! Of course.
Red berries against a blue sky
Today’s image of simplicity.
And in the background, real life problems
I want to keep this blog positive and uplifting. And I want it to be a reflection of my process. I’ve tried not to let the day to day challenges bleed into this blog. But sometimes, you just need to vent.
Our motorhome is 13 years old. It’s fine mechanically. However, the “house” part of it is showing its age. I can deal with the 1990’s decor–gold fixtures, frilly wallpaper, plastic lights and faded paint job–but when there’s no power or water I get a little irritated.
It all started during our visit to Newport. Remember that? Cute little beach town with a charm all its own. Well, if you recall, it snowed there. The temperature dropped down to 14 one night and stayed below freezing for close to a week. Our pipes froze and the 30 amp connection we had just couldn’t handle the amount of energy we were requesting with two heaters and a dryer and microwave all at once. Lesson: Be mindful of the temperature and your energy consumption. Our pipes started to leak and our electrical connection fried.
So, for the last week or so, we have been running the generator for heat and turning the water off and on as needed. Kind of a hassle, but it could be worse. After wandering around Santa Rosa for two days looking for solutions we finally settled on replacing the old stuff.
I have to hand it to Sam. He can fix almost anything. And he is a very determined guy. Today we are back in the field of normal. Now we can carry on with the fun parts of this adventure. And I will never take electricity or water for granted again.
Wine Country RV Park
Funny. This is NOT Sonoma. But it IS a Good Sam Park!
When we reserved our two nights here we thought we’d be staying in some sort of resort. Well…it turns out that lots of businesses capitalize on the wine country theme: “Wine Country Electric,” “WIne Country Plumbing,” “Wine Country Towing,” “Wine Country Brewing,” etc. The ad boasted 150 sites with pull throughs, 50 amps, sewer and cable. These are all the amenities you want when you’re traveling in a home on wheels.
overnighters’ lane
They did provide all of that. But the place was extremely cramped–maybe a foot between sites–and, lo and behold, filled with “vintage” RV’s.
I didn’t like it at first because I arrived just before dark and it was very chaotic, kids, old people, college students, all wandering around everywhere complicated by dogs, cats and cars, all trying to share the gravel road.
1980’s GMC
1950 style. The guy who lives here “works on computers,” according to one of his neighbors.
And my favorite:
Someone with an imagination lives here, no doubt!
It felt like a glorified trailer park, but, wait a minute. I stopped, took a breath and then remembered my yoga training: accept what is, try not to judge, open your heart. So I did and lo and behold, I found quite a bit of charm. Here is just some of it.
Aloe was everywhere, in the ground, in wine barrels in people’s “yards.” Nice contrast to the bare trees.
I love this vintage bike planter thingy. It just speaks to me.
There were barrels and barrels of these cactus flowers…aren’t they called hens and chicks? I almost pruned one off for myself, but thought better of it.
I guess the lesson learned, again, is, just relax and appreciate where you are, even if it makes you a little uncomfortable. There’s beauty in it all.
on the road to simplicity 