This is one of the last photos I took at Trails End Ranch.

This is one of the first photos I took at Trails End at the Beach. Yep, we did it. We have always talked about living near the ocean and now here we are.  As much as we loved that old ranch, as much as I miss the bears and deer and coyotes and wood peckers, as much as I miss the solitude, I love the new view, I enjoy the cool air and I love the over cast mornings. We left the Ranch in good hands. It is now part of a university who will use it as a field station. The house and property will be preserved and generations will benefit from that magical and very special  place. 

I am no longer at the very end of civilization and cannot believe how FAST the internet is, I get mail at the end of my driveway, the trash goes in the can right outside the door. There is absolutely no yard work here because there is NO yard to speak of. I really don't know what the husband will do with himself, but I am just fine. Even my poor dogs are adjusting to doing their business in a much smaller space, having people walking and driving right by their house (this probably is the most disconcerting to them) but they do love laying on the decks and going freely in and out of the doors which you can just leave open here with no worry of snakes coming on in.

I might even blog more regularly!!!!

You have been along on all of my journeys, so I'm bringing you up to date on this big one.

So, here's what I'm thinking. Never give up on a dream. Just keep it playing there in the background like elevator music. One day the doors open and you find yourself at the floor of your dreams.

Spring has Sprung

here on the ranch. Pairs of birds, bickering like married people, are very busy stuffing nests into every nook and cranny they can find on this old house. I love to watch them. The girls hang around until the guys come back with twigs, twine and dog hair and carefully tuck it into the chosen space. Right away, the girls start raising a ruckus, pulling out this piece and that, scolding and scolding. The boys take off and try again. But there is always time for making up. Let's just say romance was clearly in the air yesterday and it seemed that nearly every tree had a pair of lovers.


Speaking of old married people and love being in the air, the husband continues to bring flowers. These are the most unusual roses I have ever seen. Creamy on the outside and Purple-Red inside. They are all dried out now but are still, and maybe even more, beautiful.

I never get tired of watching the quality of light change with the seasons. It's a daily magic show inside as well as outside.

Having always been partial to orange, Poppies are one of my favorite things about California. That color just knocks me out. Especially when they come up right beside their Lupine neighbors.

So, I have been regaling you with talk of Spring in order to not seem quite as excited as I am about...                                                          

  THIS. 

Not in a million years did I ever think this would be me!

I was over the moon several months ago when I was included in my daughter's article, Three Generations of Art Journaling in the Stampington's Create With Me and now here I am in this issue of the beautiful Stampington Art Journaling magazine with my own article on Artful Upcycling. They do such a first class job with their publications, I am beyond proud to be included. I am also very humbled to be in here amongst so many very talented artists. Get a copy; it's full of inspiration and tips as well as being 143 pages of eye candy!

Here are a few pages from my current journal:

Discover "hidden poems." Pick out random words on a book page, the newspaper or for some real fun, use ad copy. It is quite amazing what is hiding in plain sight! 

Here's what I'm thinking.

Sometimes it just takes a little patience and a little watering for the promises to be kept, for the dreams to come true.

        
This little miracle happened literally overnight! Don't forget, it happens every day.

Poor Neglected Little Blog, Poor Neglected Followers

Just a few things to share.

A fierce conflict
is continually staged
beside the sea.
A damp and noisy game,
greater than the prize.
It is for small fish,
for the most part,
that the players come.

Certain things
preclude other things
in the arranging
of a life. Regret
is madness.

I see now.
No, more than that.
Self-condemned,
he would never
find the magic.
Entrapped, beauty
is betrayed. Yet
the sweetness
remains.

Male, Female,
amorous intrigue
complicated by
the life it sustains.

Once I felt a whole life
pass in front of me
on the horizon.
Big ships work
to maintain contact,
while little tugs work
to maintain contact,
each alone.

Here the small
is delicate.
Lift it up
and the
inevitable
begins.

I could have stayed,
I might have stayed,
but I identified the end.
I always did understand
a bell was ringing,
a band was playing,
slowly drifting,
loitering under
the gold and scarlet
of a new day,
with a heart full of
the thrill of ideas.

 

 

 Here's what I'm thinking. No matter what we do, no matter where we go, no matter what happens, there will always be beauty for open eyes to behold. Let's all keep our eyes open. And our hopes high.

This is my photography, my art and my writing. Please do not copy without permission.

It's very simple, really

Let's open up our hearts

And let in all the love and light

For that's when Christmas starts

Gather round your family

Your neighbors, foes and friends

Don't leave out a single soul

For that's when Christmas ends.

How ever you celebrate this amazing time of year

please accept all of my best wishes

to you and yours.

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Dia de los Muertos

Moving to California nearly 30 years ago has brought many interesting things into my life and the celebration of the Day of the Dead with it's altars, sugar skulls and marigolds has been one of the most striking. This takes the All Saints Day and All Souls Day of my Catholic upbringing to new heights and somehow seems to resonate with me.

Here's what I'm thinking. I miss my Dad and am grateful for all of the jokes and family stories he shared. For his concern if he even thought I was having a bad time. For the most important lesson I've probably ever learned; to know it's never too late to own your past behavior. And I am grateful that when he got older, he started calling me "honey".