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.

Simply Still Serenity

 

It’s not often that I arrive at a lake to find it still and perfectly reflected upon itself. I was amazed to find this. I almost felt bad putting the kayak into the still waters. Once I was on the water, I didn’t feel bad anymore. It was quite serene. There wasn’t even any wind to push across the water and force the surface to move.

Still Morning at Salmon Lake

I don’t think about missing silence until I find myself submerged in it. It is completely calming. Fish and Game stopped stocking this lake with fish and word must have gotten out because there was hardly a fisherman to be found. Even the bald eagles were circling the lake and leaving. I loved being there because every little sound became apparent to me. The bees were buzzing, grasshoppers rubbing their wings, and when a person spoke, their voice was perfectly clear to everyone in the lake basin we were all residing in. There wasn’t much talking going on, though; I think everyone was simply enjoying the silence of the morning. 

 

 

Simple Things

My neighbor has one of the loveliest yards that I have ever seen.  Every time that I pass by it, I marvel in the colors that grace this place.   

Heavenly Hydrangia

I’ve known this neighbor for years and stopped the other day to mention how lovely the poppies were that had just been pulled out and replanted with begonias.

Spectacular Vine

Although the flowers were brilliant and quite a spectacle, “they needed to come out so the begonias could become established for the summer months ahead.”  My neighbor is terminally ill and has a high hope to see those flowers in full bloom.

Beautiful Begonia

It puts things in perspective…..Shouldn’t life just be about enjoying the simple things?

Tea Time

It took me a couple of weeks to put this posting together.  I needed the assistance of my grand-daughter.  She was staying over and took Great Grandma’s childhood dolly and chair and moved it from upstairs to downstairs for a party.  We ran out of time so I put the dolly (she calls her Jasmine) on the chair and moved her to the side of the living room to wait for the conclusion of the party.

Dolly Play

I knew my grand-daughter would be back later that week and I went in search of the tea party set.  Dolly was waiting when she arrived and the tea set was on the dining room table.

Preparing for Tea Time

She was delighted to see the tea set and quickly moved Dolly to the family room.  She set everything up and started to play.  She suddenly turned to tell me that she had forgotten something upstairs (off she ran)…….I thought I knew what it was and I was correct……

Teddy Bears Tea Party

Dolly had invited some of her best friends to have tea and play along.

I do so love watching my grand children play.  It takes me back to younger, less encumbered days.  I encourage you to find your own escape with a friend.  One of my favorite things to do, is to leisurely spend time with people while having a picnic.  I suppose it is my grownup tea party of sorts.  Go out and do something fun with someone you care about.  Life really is too short; we should spend as much time as possible with the people we love and cherish.

Go seize today or at least make plans for this weekend.

Old Oak

I was out on a walk the other day and stopped to watch the cattle gazing on the hillside near my home.  I do so love cows!  I’ve loved them since I was a child on High Street in Santa Cruz.  We lived out in the country and there weren’t many people around.  The cows always came to the fence to entertain me.  Truth told, it was myself who was trying to entertain them by singing silly made-up songs.  This shot reminded me of those days as a child in the hills of Santa Cruz.

Afternoon Grazing

I have another memory of an old oak tree that was up on a hill in Soquel, CA.  My friend and I used to cross the large field at the top of the hill and ride on a branch that hung low enough to the ground so our feet could push the limb up and down.  We’d pretend that we were riding horses.  She loved horses and I loved cows.  Life was so simple then.  

I do so hope that you have a simple and lovely 2015!

 

Navigating Peace and Forgiveness

Last evening I went to a group grief session.  I’ve never done anything like this before but I thought it might be helpful going into the holiday season.  We were asked why we were attending and I was the only one that answered with the thought that I was searching for peace and forgiveness.  As I was listening, I found it interesting that I was the only one looking for these things.  It made me think.  I have been searching for peace my entire life and finding it around every turn.  I can find peace in the simplest of things, for instance, Stanton Lanier creates songs and plays the piano in the most soothing of ways.  It’s quite peaceful.  Taking my grandchild for a walk and stopping to watch the Cormorant fishing in the pond, watching the birds fly as we approach them, greeting the doggies along our path, are things that bring both of us delight and a calming peacefulness.  Everyday we are greeted with a sunrise and left with the beauty of a sunset.  This sunset made me think of my mother last weekend while we were stuck in traffic along I-80 near Dixon.  What a lovely way to be stuck in traffic.  Mom always liked a good sunset.

Peaceful Sunset

I think that I have the peaceful part of what I am searching for realized because, it surrounds me everyday and everywhere I go, all I need to do is look for it and be aware of it when I see it.  Searching to find forgiveness is the tricky part.  I don’t often need to find forgiveness but I realize that it is an important part of finding peace and joy in my life.  It is interesting that those people who I feel I need to forgive seldom even notice that something is askew in the relationship.  I have come to find that there are times when I simply need to accept them for who and what they are.  I can not expect them to be anything other than who they are.  I forgive them for being themselves and just figure that it is all they have to give.  I know these things but implementing this idea proves to be a struggle for me.  I need to find a solution so I can move on with the peaceful part of my life.  See, peace and forgiveness are intertwined for me.  I must remember to immerse myself in those moments of discovery and beauty.  It is there that I can bathe in the glorious act of acceptance and forgiving.  

I hope all your sunsets this week are exquisite. 

“Patchy Morning Fog”

Return to the View from Albion River Inn

Somehow, my mind told me that the view from the cliffs at Albion River Inn would look the same as they did in my photo taken twenty-five years ago.  The peacefulness remains but the flower garden has grown into something quite wonderful.

Tidepools at Glass Beach

I had come here in search of simplicity.  I found so much more.  Albion has a certain calmness to it.  The fog horn hums it’s rhythmic tune while the fog gently rolls in and out all day long.  The last day we were there, I awoke in the morning and looked out at the sky.  “Patchy morning fog,” echoed in my mind.  That was the term so often used at KSCO radio in Santa Cruz.  I hadn’t thought of that saying in years, and there it suddenly was again, deja vu.

Hummingbird in Flight

Along with the morning fog came the hummingbirds and I took this shot from inside the dining room during breakfast.  I liked the light but when I got home I found a surprise on the right hand side.  The hummingbirds had been out battling each other that morning, but I had missed the fact that I had somehow captured one.

Mendocino Music Festival Tent

We stopped and watched a rehearsal for the Mendocino Music Festival.  It was fascinating and I could tell that the performance was going to be an exceptional experience that evening with Alan Pollack playing his saxophone to Bridge Over Troubled Water and the lovely voice of Kim Nalley singing songs of Aretha Franklin.  We had other plans…..

Sunset at MacCullum House

Dinner at the MacCullum House.  It was divine.  It is interesting to me, how very complicated people can make their lives.  I thought this weekend that it surely is easier to have fun then to be in a snit all the time.  We all do know people though, that find little fun in their lives and almost everything to complain about.  I choose fun over unhappiness.  I will share just a couple more photos from last weekend with you and then be on my way.

View from Point Cabrillo Lighthouse

Seeking Simplicity and Finding Simplicity…..it’s all around us, like the view from the lighthouse, any lighthouse really, and the beauty, complexity, and simplicity of flowers.

Tiny Seashore Flowers

Lazy Poppy

Bee in the Thistle

Dewy Forget-Me-Nots

Finding Splendor in the Smallest of Flowers

So there you have it.  I went to Mendocino, didn’t make it to Fern Canyon.  It was too far to travel, and by not going to Fern Canyon, it was easier to find the simplicity all around me.  The weekend was, simply, lovely!

 

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