Travel Reflections

 

I’ve been distancing myself from this blog since 2018. I think it is time to share some of the places that I have been. The photos are unique to my experiences, and at a time that can be confining, I hope to take you outdoors to the scenic beauty that is all around us. 

In November of 2018 we went on a short road trip around Phoenix, Sedona, and Tucson, Arizona. The desert has never been a place that I long to be. I have a lot of friends who love the desert but I prefer the ocean. With that being said, there is a sense of quiet beauty that exists there. It is a peaceful place that lacks color yet is filled with it too. The calm that I found there is why I am sharing these photos with you. This is a time when we may not feel very peaceful but we know that peacefulness is all around us, we just need to remind ourselves to look for it. I urge you to take a look at your own photos to help refresh your memories of those experiences you’ve had that filled you with joy and calm. This period of isolation will pass and perhaps be one of those memories you choose not to hold on to. Spend this time going in-search of your peace, your calm, and your beauty.

Quick Timing

Is it just me, or does time seem to fly by quicker than it ever has before? 

Discovery Bay at Sunset

We went to an amazing party in Discovery Bay this past weekend. I’d never been there before and was so impressed with the quiet that I found there. It’s serene and sits out in a place where you would never expect to find waterways.

West Cliff Drive During Open Streets

Then we moved on to my hometown, Santa Cruz, CA. We went to one of my favorite lighting stores, Illuminee on Ingalls St. The owners have beautiful lights and all kinds of interesting additions for the home. We ate lunch at West End Tap. We’ve never had a bad meal there and it is filled with memories from former visits.  We moved on to San Mateo and shared some time with our newlyweds. I’m (a little) sad that the weekend seemed to go by so quickly. I certainly could have used more time in all of the places that we visited. We need to move a little slower, through our quick timing. 

 

Better Than Provence

We traveled all the way to Provence last year with the hope that we would see lavender in bloom. We saw fields of poppies and lavender with ever so tiny purple tips. I could only imagine how beautiful the fields would be in about two or three more weeks.

A private backyard outside of Seattle.

A Sequim, Washington garden created by two California transplants.

I had no idea that lavender blooms in Washington and Oregon every spring. It’s a long drive or a short plane ride from California to see these wonderful sights. The people are friendly and most everyone you bump into is there to see the lavender too. Being a transplant from Santa Cruz, I’ve got begonias growing in my backyard. I was surprised that they would grow in such a warm climate but they seem to thrive here. I think there will be lavender in that same backyard next spring. It will be like a little piece of Provence, Oregon, and Washington for me to enjoy almost all of next years summer season. Some times one of the best places you can be is in your own backyard. You can make it into, anything you like.

A Lake in the Olympic National Forest

You may have wondered where I have been. I have been on a road trip that began the end of June. This photo is my favorite photo of the entire trip. You see, my grandchildren are the silhouettes on the two piers. It was a lovely place and a calm beautiful evening. The crescent moon and the north star hung in the sky as the tiny lake waves lapped against the beach. I wish we had been able to stay there a couple of days. When you’re on a road trip, it’s hard to not plan ahead and give yourself the authority to stay an extended time, especially when you are caring for two little ones.With all that said, we drove through California, Idaho, Washington, cruised into Alaska, stopped in Victoria, drove through a different section of Washington, Oregon, and California to get back to Graeagle so the kids could go kayaking. I’ll be filling you in on the places we went in the coming weeks. What I want to leave you with today, is this photo of Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Forest in Washington. If you ever get the opportunity to go, do it. It is an amazing slow-paced place. It’s a bit like going back in time and there’s nothing wrong with taking a deep breath and slowing down a little now and then.

Gardens of Flowers

Last month I went to the 25th Annual Spring Garden Tour held by the Soroptimist International of the Sierra Foothills. I was going to rank the gardens as I had appreciated them. After thinking about that for a while, I came to realize that it’s not really fair to rank these six gardens, as each garden has its own personality, just like the people do, that tend them. I have, however, decided to share some photos of the garden that I liked most of all.

Butterflies Abound in this Happy Wooded Garden

Fabulous Rose Garden

Dainty Yellow Peony

Pretty Little Colombine

This garden sat up on a hill in Grass Valley, California. It was host to an aviary with happily singing finches and canaries. The butterflies appeared blissfully happy, and with every step that I took, I would find a lovely surprise in the form of some sort of flower that I had never seen in its particular color. You could tell that the people who grew this garden had spent many hours laboring in it. I would  have liked to have had the time to sit out in it with a glass of wine in my hand to just drink in all the sights and colors of this magical place. I can’t imagine daily living in that environment. Well, I can imagine it, but I think the best way to see the garden would be to fly through it. No tending, no trouble, just sheer availability to loads of wonderful flowers. Oh to be a butterfly, just for one glorious day. Imagine…  

 

 

Take Me Away

There are times when, as hard as you might try, you just can’t make things work perfectly. This week has been filled with a lot of stressful endings in my house project that did not go according to my plans.

Monterey is filled with these delightful Pride of Madeira flowers.

It’s in those times that are anxiety ridden that I try to pull up images in my mind of places or things that have made me stop to take a closer look. These tiny flowers caught my eye as I walked along the coast in Monterey, not so long ago. They were so delicate and attractive. The bees were happy to see them too. I think that the little annoyances in life, as unsettling as they are, should not cloud my memories of wonderful experiences that have gone before and will surely come again in another amazing array of color that will capture my imagination and fill me with peace and an appreciation of the blessed life I lead. It’s crazy the way stress makes my mind work. This photo, as well as many others quite simply, makes me feel better.

There’s An Empty Bench

There’s an old empty bench some place,                                                                                        Beckoning for someone to sit.                                                                                                                                                                                        I think it quite a lonely wish,                                                                                                     Longing, for something to use it.

Near Lovers Point

It overlooks an ocean                                                                                                                     Or is nestled in the trees.                                                                                                              It’s a place of memories,                                                                                                        Where you can listen to the breeze.

Waters Of The Monterey Bay

Some days I just pass by it,                                                                                                  Although it calls my name,                                                                                                     While other times I am compelled,                                                                                               To sit, I can’t explain.

My Favorite Colors

It isn’t immensely pretty,                                                                                                               But surely holds fast and true.                                                                                                This bench in the middle of nowhere,                                                                                    Was placed there for me and you.

© Bonnie L DiMichele 2018                                                                                                                   I traveled to Monterey last weekend and took a walk from Cannery Row to Pacific Grove. I had to set my camera down at one point to just look, listen, and marvel at the gorgeous places we share in California. I know this state isn’t perfect, but on any given day, it sure can seem that way.

Aloha Kauai / Aloha Rain

Last week we went to The Grand Hyatt, Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii. It was for business and pleasure. We landed on a clear and beautiful day. We discovered that rain had been falling for the last two months and we were fortunate to be there on a day that was sunny.

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We saw a few reasonable sunrises and I saw my very first “green flash” during the first sunrise. I thought I was going to have to go to Maine to see that. Such a nice surprise. We traveled a little ways to sightsee and then the rains picked back up. It was very soggy there. It didn’t dampen our spirits though. Hawaii is a lovely place and I like being there, come rain or shine or frizzy hair. So I leave you with, “Aloha” and a few photos that capture my memories of Kauai.

Precious Pets

I don’t often post messages like this, but we had to put down our fabulous feline last Saturday. We rescued her about sixteen years ago, on a rainy day, from Sacramento. We had to say goodbye, on a rainy day, last Saturday. She was a great cat and we will miss her. We will miss her? We do miss her. She was more like a dog than a cat and was a wonderful companion. We’ve had many friends lately who have had pets that were aging and in need of intervention. It makes me think about my aging as well, because she had lived with us for a very long time. When the nest went empty, she remained with us and helped to fill the void a little.

Well, life around her is quieter and not nearly as “purrfect” as it used to be. Knowing that you did the right thing is not always as easy as I imagine it should be. What I would like you to do for me, is spend just a little extra time with your precious pet today. I can’t pet mine but you can pet yours a while longer and let them know how very special they are to you. They give us so much joy. 

Capitol Camellias

A couple of weeks ago we went for a glorious walk through the Sacramento, State Capitol grounds. The camellias were in full bloom and delighting us with a varied array of colorful blossoms.

I’m glad we took that stroll because just two weeks later the azaleas are starting to bloom and the various magnolias are in bloom. The camellias are all but done and their petals have fallen to the ground.

I haven’t been writing in my blog in the last month because I’ve been working on the addition that is being built onto our house. The painter was painting the walls today and the bathroom will be coming together very soon.

As a child I moved quite often, and even though I’ve lived in this home for twenty-seven years, the idea of having permanent roots is a very comforting feeling. We’re making this a place were we will spend a lot of time and create a lot of new memories. I can’t wait to get started. So like the camellias of the Capitol Garden, I too now have deep roots in a little piece of California.