BE-WITCHED....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN...

BE SAFE...

PUMPKIN LOVER...

Remnants of the Past Vintage Show - 10.20.12

This pig obviously loves the colors of FALL!

{doesn't he resemble Wilbur from the book, Charlotte's Web?}

Until I met JPE, I never realized how much I ENJOY FALL...

crisp apples from See Canyon

rich oranges, reds, greens & yellows

dampness of leaves in the morning

brillant mid-day sun

breath-taking sunsets on the ocean

the touches of frost 

wearing scarves (& socks)

crock-pot soups for dinner

baking & freezing breads, scones & muffins

crawling into pj's after dinner

warm blankets on the bed

AHHHH! FALL...

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 10.28.12

Bull's Tavern - SLO - 10.27.12

The one constant in my week (well, besides going to WORK) is participating in SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY (hosted by Ashley).

In looking at last week's post, it seems like those pictures were taken at least a month ago... instead of just 7-8 days. And... we're getting ready to start a new  month... Time flies!

Without further unnecessary chatting, here are the words for this week's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY: PATTERN(S), MACHINE, SIGNS or LOGOS, ROCKS or STONES & SPARKLE.

PATTERN(S)

Don't you love the PATTERN a lawn mower makes in a yard? Of course, this lawn is perfection - it's the lawn at SYCAMORE MINERAL SPRINGS, Avila Beach. Gardners probably hand manicure it!?? The sidewalk is located outside HANDS GALLERY in SLO. It's a artsy gallery of "handmade" treasures (both local & from outside our area). The color of the tiles are certain to grab your attention... enticing you to enter & look around.

MACHINE

On our walk with Marcus, we saw this adorable little one person MACHINE at Sycamore Mineral Springs. Loved the deep navy blue color & the red leather satchel buckled behind the driver's seat. 

SIGNS or LOGOS

San Luis Obispo County has quite a diverse population of residents. You're probably wondering what that has to DO with this SIGN? Throughout the county are agricultural lands... strawberries, bok choy, broccoli, peas, grapes (wineries), and many of the ranches have men & women who still ride horses to monitor the farmlands. If you ask locals, they'll say BULL'S TAVERN is a cowboy bar... it also has the distinction of being the "oldest" bar in San Luis Obispo. I've lived in SLO for 40 years, I've never been inside BULL'S... but I do appreciate their interesting neon SIGN.

ROCKS or STONES

Several weeks ago, JPE & I rented a hot tub at Sycamore Mineral Springs... this past week, our house guest rented a tub... as you enter the path to the massage area & hot tubs, this concrete bird bath holds a series of stacked STONES. Have you ever taken some time to make a pile of stacked stones? There's something peaceful about finding the smoothest, roundest, flattest STONES for stacking. Ahhh... relaxing.

SPARKLE

Bet you can't guess what this is??? It's actually a lamp with a shade made from an old juice cans... it has plenty of old-world charm & bling. Unfortunately, I took this picture through a store window & the lamp was turned off... use your imagination & I'm certain you'll be able to see the SPARKLE. 

Next week's words are: WILD, WELCOME, ADVENTURE, VIBRANT & CLASSIC. Dare you to participate!!

TODAY'S CHANCE...

pic taken @ 9:15am

The BOYS have left!!!

{no, I haven't taken a second husband!

our charming friend, Marcus arrived Wednesday...

but will be leaving tomorrow for his home

in No California - BOO!!! not happy!}

Spending a love-ly, quiet morning

looking at blogs... PINTEREST... 

& looked up to see

the sun pouring through the kitchen window

into the living room...

{double BOO!! this view has already disappeared

as the sun moves up into the sky}

I can hear the frogs croaking their message...

{does this mean our weather will be changing?}

The BOYS will be back at NOON...

{headed to the Bob Jones Trail for a walk,

some photography, talking, a bite to eat

& may venture into SLO for a peek}

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 

tomorrow!!

{JPE & Marcus will be helping me

spot some photo ops!}

Wanna join us? 

{Look for: pattern(s), machine, signs or logos,

rocks or stones & sparkle}.

(1) Post the pictures on your blog

(2) Copy the link to that post

(3) Hop over Ashley's @ Rambling & Photos

(4) Paste your link at the bottom of the most current SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY post

(5) Then, visit the other participants

EASY!! PEASY!!!

GOSH... it's time... 

to CREATE TODAY...

Best get some laundry started... pack my camera... grab some snacks & be ready for the guys & our afternoon adventure! 

MY SWEET LANA...

LANA
the grandmother of my daughters
the mother of my ex-husband
my mother-in-law FOREVER!

LOVED
her three sons
her 13 grandchildren & 10 great-grandchildren
her daughters-in-law, sisters, family & friends

SHE
baked incredibly tasty berry pies
decorated a doll house for the grand-daughters
sewed quilts for my daughter's bunk-bed
sent notes, cards & letters to family sharing her LOVE
was a woman of strong spiritual beliefs

ENJOYED
the craziness of family surrounding her for the holidays & birthdays
spending time playing with her grandchildren
camping in Yosemite National Park
walking on the beach

FAVORITE TIME WITH LANA

She & Griff were living in Nipomo, three houses away from us. I worked part-time (three days a week), so every Wednesday, we'd run errands together, then eat lunch out. When ordering a piece of pie at Marie Callender's we'd never order boysenberry pie, because we knew her pies were BETTER! 

SPECIAL TIMES!!
I'll FOREVER
TREASURE the MEMORIES of MOMENTS
spent with LANA!!!

SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY!

picture @ Remnants of the Past 10.20.12

Loving the overcast weather!

but, that's no reason there can't be

sunshine in your day!

Where will you spread the SUN?

Tonight, Girls Night at Susan's!

Can't wait!!

PATTERNS ON PUMPKINS...

all pics taken 10.21.12

DOLLAR STORE

PUMPKINS  +

SHARPIES...

 IF YOU NEED

HELP THINKING

OF PATTERNS,

SEE PINTEREST.

SPIRALS... STARS... DOTS... TRIANGLES...

ZIGZAGS... DOTS... STRAIGHT LINES...

SIMPLY FUN!

I did this while chatting on the phone with my mom!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 10.21.12

pic taken 10.20.12

Working has been getting in the way of playing!

But, I HAD TO participate in SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY!
How about you?

This week's words are such fun... 

ORANGE or PINK

(representing Breast Cancer Awareness Month),

FACELESS PORTRAIT, VIEW FROM THE TOP, 

COZY & STACKED.

ORANGE or PINK

There's a new candy store in SLO! with every flavor of taffy imaginable. Salt Water Taffy was one of my Dad's favorite... I'm sorry I don't remember the flavor of this ORANGE-PINK taffy? JPE & I looked through all the bins... Bit O' Honey, Big Hunk, Abba Zaba, Look, Dots are familiar to both of us. But, I had never tasted a Cherry Mash or Buckeyes Candy... do you think it's because he grew up in Ohio & I grew up in California? 

FACELESS PORTRAIT

Now you didn't think I'd post a shot of my face, did you?  Today was "girls day" with Susan. Breakfast at Honeymoon Cafe (Pismo Beach), then off to Remnants of the Past (at the Madonna Expo Center in SLO). Cute FACELESS PORTRAIT, eh? adorable hat...

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Couldn't pass this typewriter with out taking a picture. I love anything that involves lettering, type or fonts, with one of my favorite blogs being, I Love Typography. Taking in the VIEW FROM THE TOP, you'll be able to compare your keyboard to this typewriter. Quite a lot has changed... if you want to learn more about Blickensderfer's check HERE. BTW, this typewriter was introduced at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.

COZY

Looks COZY, huh? after checking out all the vendors indoors, we moved to the outside vendors. This pillow caught my eye! Adorable... love the ripples... something I'd like to try making. I'd look for a fabric that is softer (this one was wool)... wonder if heavy-weight flannel will work? 

STACKED

I took several pictures of items that were STACKED... but, this one was the best... after eliminating the blurred images! the ones with the visible price tags! & others with the busy background! I'm not even sure what these rolled tubes of paper were... maps? wrapping paper? pictures?

With the exception of the first photo, I took these photos at Remnants of the Past Vintage Show... you can see more about this event HERE.

Next week's SHS words? check in with ASHLEY...

GHOULISH...

pumpkin from Avila Valley Barn - 9.24.12

DID YOU KNOW?

PUMPKINS were called "POMPIONS"

from the Greek word 'PEPON'

meaning "cooked by the sun"

A PUMPKIN is a member of the

CUCURBITA family.

American Indians grew PUMPKINS

before corn was discovered.

When Columbus returned to Europe

he took PUMPKIN seeds.

PUMPKINS have been grown on six

of the seven continents.

(Antarctica is the exception)

WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR MOODS?

pic taken this afternoon 10.15.12

Mid-day today, I had an appointment to get my eyes examined. I still prefer to wear contact lens rather than glasses... Guess I don't like having something obstruct my peripheral vision (actually, I've always felt my lens were too thick)!

But, this year, I decided to get a new pair of glasses (which I wear in the evenings & weekends)... do you know how much it costs to look stylish?? Even with insurance, the frames & lens still cost around 4 bills (add 00's to that number). And they weren't even the most expensive frame. 

Following my appointment, I headed home to close my eyes & allow the pupils to shrink back to normal (which took 4 hours). Sitting in the darkened living room, I sipped a cup of tea & remembered a book I had browsed through over the weekend, Permission to Nap, by Jill Murphy Long. There's a section that talks about color & your mood. To pass the time, I played around with some scrapbook paper & my tea cup... 

popular shade of green for decorating

I read GREEN is considered the most restful color for the human eye. It is thought to possess healing power, can soothe pain; and if you think about it, your doctors office is probably painted some shade of GREEN. This color is also seen as a sign of renewal and Egyptians equated GREEN with hope.

leaf in the driveway

RED is associated with fire and warmth. And, is the color of leadership. Never heard that before, have you?

The author doesn't recommend using RED as wall color - it excites the nervous system and makes the heart race. Which leads me to believe that people who have a hard time falling asleep should NOT have RED in their bedrooms... unless it's used as a secondary color (pillows, vases, picture frame).

It was sort-of fun wondering how people choose colors for their clothes, homes, and even cars. So, which color is your favorite? GREEN? or RED? 

"The Show-Off" - Big Bear Lake

BYW, my new glass frames will be another color found in nature.... BLUE-ish. BLUE is considered the color of relaxation... cool, calming & soothing. Do you think I'll be able to stay awake when I wear my glasses?

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 10.14.12

PERUVIAN LLAMA 

My favorite day for blogging - SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY... (truth be known - I read blogs daily!)

This week's SHS words: 

WATER DROPS or WATER FLOWING, FAITHFULNESS,

THEN & NOW, FINGERTIPS & 

BUCKET LIST: CANDY APPLES

WATER DROPS or FLOWING WATER

Yesterday, JPE & I wandered down the San Luis Obispo riverwalk, on our way to coffee. I picked this photo of the slowly FLOWING WATER because I could watch the leaves float down river. This photo reminds me of a Monet painting... with the tree branches swooping over the water... sort of dreamy & peaceful. Ahhh!

FAITHFULNESS

This picture is from my archives... Allie's dog, Lola, has captured a place in many hearts. Lola had settled into Tasha's arms for a long winter's sleep at the cabin. In my experience, dogs demonstrate a FAITHFULNESS that can wipe out all the unpleasantries of difficult days. On my way to Sacramento, I'll get to spend an evening with Allie & Lola this week.

THEN & NOW

In 4th grade, children learn about the history of the California Missions. Living in San Luis Obispo County, we are lucky to have access to one of these historical landmarks, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. The mission bells operated much like a community clock, ringing in the morning, at lunch & at the end of the workday. All 21 missions have bells... it interesting to note that the SLO Mission added written signs next to the bells. Just an example of THEN & NOW.

FINGERTIPS

JPE graciously (??) offered to model some FINGERTIP puppets which were brought home from Peru. Of course, they are kissing... a llama attracted to a horse. Opposites can be attracted to each other.

ITEM from SARAH'S FALL BUCKET LIST

Even if you don't participate in SHS, you may have seen Sarah's FALL BUCKET LIST on Pinterest, Instagram or her HER BLOG. One of our SHS tasks was to take a picture of something from this list. Although we didn't MAKE caramel apples, I took this picture through the local candy shop window. Three caramel apples... left at the end of the day. I wonder??? what's done with the left-overs?

Next week's SHS words:

ORANGE or PINK (Breast Cancer Awareness Month),

FACELESS PORTRAIT,

VIEW FROM THE TOP,

COZY & STACKED.

Have a great rest of your weekend... yummy smells are coming from our kitchen! JPE made crumpets for our afternoon tea. 

SATURDAY SIPPINGS...

coffee on Higuera, SLO

Following the 1:30 showing of SAMSARA at The Palm, we browsed the shop windows along Higuera St.  

College students, families & people of all ages were enjoying the Fall weather - a perfect temperature, with a slight breeze...

We stopped for coffee (tea for JPE) at Kreuzberg's & enjoyed people watching... 

Kreuzberg's is located across from Tom's Toys...

In addition to great coffee & teas, they have a unique decor... retro-style lamps are mounted on the ceiling... casting subtle shadows of light on the tables below.

The walls are filled with art...

colorful pushpins

dot the bulletin board

holding slips of 

:: poetry ::

:: drawings ::

:: quotes ::

Visitors - local & those from afar (G'DAY - Aussie?)

share kind words & thoughts!

NO negativity! nor offensive graffiti!

If you're planning to visit SLO, treat yourself!!

the movie, SAMSARA,

was 100 minutes of stunning photography...

if you're curious like US,

you may want to visit the official website

for a list of some of the countries

& sites that were captured in

BriLLaNt CoLOr.

FOWL-ISH FRIDAY...

Avila Valley Barn ~ 10.10.12

Avila Valley Barn "purchase"

ANOTHER

FOWL-ISH

SORT OF WEEK!!!

Not a

camera-sort

of week, either!

I think I'm just going to have to accept the fact that I'm one of those weekend bloggers, until work settles down!

or I get more organized?

Well - looking forward to some time with JPE this weekend. 
Plan to catch a movie, SAMSARA, an indie movie that was five years in the making! photos were all taken in 70mm. 
Our little trip into SLO may also include some side trips? 
Gopher Glen Apple Farm --- JPE hasn't been in weeks! Joe Momma's for afternoon tea?

What weekend plans do you have?

UNTYING THE KNOTS...

pic taken @ Big Bear Lake 

UMMM... love this quote!

Not sure what this means to ME...

at this point in my LIFE?

I know I'm a "pretty" controlling personality!

perhaps I need to let someone else take charge?

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT....

"

taken 10.5.12

Don't you love the bit of sunlight on the branches of the tree (left-hand side of this photo)?

This tree is located in our "back-back yard" (or for those of you who've been to our condo - the property located beyond the white fence)! 

We are fortunate that our condo backs up to a "rather open" greenbelt of land owned by the City of Arroyo Grande. I've always called it the "back-back yard" because we think of it as an extension of our condo patio (although the property doesn't belong to our condo association).

JPE has a rose garden located in the "back-back yard" along with his compost pile & our raspberry bushes (that are totally out-of-control - spreading themselves past the imaginary line we've thought of as their growing area).

All the references to our "back-back yard" may seem meaningless, but the oak trees that grow there are beginning to really annoy me. See the fluttering moth near the upper-hand right corner of this pic? 

Now check out this picture...

Sorry for the blurry print (hey! capturing two moving objects is almost impossible). Our HUMMER-BULLY  is chasing a moth away from the trees... the hummingbirds are annoyed by our current SCIENCE EXPERIMENT also. 

The SCIENCE EXPERIMENT is creating havoc on our weekend ritual of afternoon "tea & scones" --- On Saturday, John bravely sat on the patio Saturday afternoon with a spray bottle of Windex --- and sprayed any visitor that fell on his lap, computer or on his head.

Here's a close-up of one of our annoying visitors! BTW, I had to contort my body to be able to take this photo! We have these visitors crawling up our stucco walls... looking for a safe place to retreat...

This visitor's getting settled next to someone who's been a resident on the stucco walls, for a few days!

Up close & personal! Their colors are actually quite attractive, huh? BUT, we're talking about visitors everywhere... on the walls, the fence, the patio, hanging from the plants... we can't escape these visitors... it's become quite annoying! 

I believe this visitor will be sprouting his wings & leaving his safe nesting spot soon! then he'll flit off into the pretty blue sky & he'll have to dodge the HUMMER-BULLY...

Well - word on the street is that our oak trees are diseased, which leads me to believe the visitors are playing a huge role in spreading this SCIENCE EXPERIMENT throughout our oak tree forest. Sad, huh? 

Don't know how long we have to put up with the SCIENCE EXPERIMENT, but I can't wait to have my morning coffee or afternoon tea withOUT having a WORMY creature drop down on my head... fall into my warm "cuppa" (tea or coffee)... it's pretty messy having to flick a WORM off your jeans or bare arm... urghh... not just messy, but N-A-S-T-Y!

Just saying - I'd really like my patio back - so, MR HUMMER-BULLY --- please get aggressive & take care of this SCIENCE EXPERIMENT. 

Clarifying fact... we have a hummingbird who's quite the bully... he believes both hummingbird feeders are HIS... and chases other hummers away. He's even chased some bees away from the feeders!