CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA...

Tuesday, our tour group had a FREE day

(meaning there were NO planned activities)

Rick Steve's Tours are busy & require a lot of walking,

so, at some point, you need a "vacation from your vacation"...

Fourteen of us (plus Mert, our tour guide) chartered a boat
for a two hour trip around the Antalya Harbor.
What a fabulous idea! 

The boat dock...
as you can see, it was a lovely day... sunshine, with a slight breeze!
Perfect weather after our chilly days in Cappadocia & a rainy drizzle in Istanbul.

sandals & cropped pants... what a treat after wearing walking shoes & socks!

this guy was fishing in his inflatable boat!

other fisherman had climbed down the rock cliff to fish!

our boat driver stopped the boat off a small cove so most of the group could jump in the water!

(l-r: Cathy, JPE, me, Tommy & Jennifer)

searching for a warm current!

actually, the cold currents weren't that cold!

I believe I remember Mert saying the water temperature was about 74 degrees...

a refreshing dip!

worth every penny

($25. each for our 2 hour trip)...

FEAST OF JOY...

9.19.14

TGIF...  company for the weekend!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 6.22.14

Lydia spent her first week of summer with us.

It takes a day or two for her to leave the "fast-paced" daily routine of being home.

We got the "only available" campsite in North Beach-Pismo Beach campground... 

it's our "go-to-campground" 8 minutes from our house...

it's a treasured place for many reasons!

LYDIA has the freedom to ride her bike around the campground... unaccompanied!

Another benefit of camping... fresh air, walks on the beach & mindless relaxation!

... also, you can get a "dose of nature"

... Lola & Allie have wide open spaces...

... and you have more opportunities to nap!

posting with Ashley at Rambling & Photos!

 

 

next week's words:

PINK, WHEELS, FRIEND(S), EMOTION & SWEET

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 4.28.13

SATURDAY'S BUNCH

My postings have been sporadic... Thanks for continuing to visit & for leaving me a comment! We start our condo renovation tomorrow, so most of our free time has been spent moving stuff, de-cluttering & bagging up trash.

I just can't give up my weekly photo shoot. This week's SHS words: WALKING, YUMMY TO THE TUMMY, FAVORITE TOY, WHAT I DID THIS WEEK & ANYTHING (PHOTOGRAPHER'S CHOICE).

Stop by RAMBLING & PHOTOS to check out Ashley's picture of YUMMY TO THE TUMMY. Adorable!

our guide, Lucio's feet {L} & JPE {R}

Destination vacations = lots of WALKING! Exploring the Amazon Rainforest in Peru was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!! We traversed 14 platforms (of varying heights) --- the top platform allowed us to look "over" the tops of the forest trees. Narrow walkways, with rope & cable sides, plus amazing views made WALKING "heart-stopping" {an archived photo}

Matthew, Katie & Derek decorating cookies

I don't want to brag, but I know my cut-out cookie recipe is a "winner" with everyone. Last Christmas Eve, I baked dozens of cut-out cookies, then I supervised (sounds like teacher-talk, eh) a cookie decorating corner on Christmas Day. These cookies are YUMMY TO THE TUMMY even without all the buttercream frosting & sprinkles. {another archived photo}

FAVORITE TOY?

OH-LA-LA! I know this might come as a shock to some people... but, I "LOVE" painting. As soon as the cottage cheese is removed from the ceiling, I'm ready to put some new color on the walls. For this week, a FAVORITE TOY... a brand new paint brush for cutting-in paint next to the crown molding. My old brush had to be t.r.a.s.h.e.d after painting three condos.

AFTERNOON CALORIE BURNER!

Our bedroom & bathroom flooring arrived! WHAT I DID THIS WEEK?? made three round-trips to bring it home & unload it from the car. Ummm, my trusty Honda Civic is a work-horse. JPE moved the flooring upstairs. We're helping the contractor as much as we can... we want this job to go s-m-o-o-t-h-l-y & them out of here on time!

SATURDAY'S BUNCH

ANYTHING? PHOTOGRAPHER'S CHOICE. Easy... I took pictures of JPE's roses... gorgeous & fragrant.

Last Sunday, ASHLEY made a request for more SHS words.

MY WORDS were "selected" for next week! Yippee! Think I better spend some time with my camera before I start painting.

The words are: BACKGROUND, SPOTTED or DOTS, WEATHER, MOTION & SWEET.

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.

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS??

building on Montana St, Santa Monica, CA ~ 4.12.12

IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Work has been very, very busy!

HELP!

I've been feeling like a...

"Damsel in Distress"

{this picture makes me think of damsels;

although, I'm not a "young lady*"

click HERE to read more about this archaic term}

*When my weekend comes around,

my energy-level doesn't rebound as quickly 

as it used to!!

How's your work load?

BACK TO WORK....

Spring Break is over... we've returned to work. My job is never boring! always changing! the people are fabulous! but the work can make for some hectic, tummy-churning moments.


AND... even though most school districts were off on break, many agencies & businesses were NOT! knowing this, I decided to post this love-ly picture (taken as JPE & I were packing the car last Thursday) as a reminder of our "relaxing times" at the cabin.


AND... as a reminder that "affairs of the world" continue... AND I would have phone messages, some unaddressed emails (most of them I had already read, answered & deleted), a bit of mail (a couple of catalogs & an package from CA Dept of Education), and a list of tasks I hope to complete this work week.


I'm happy to report... today was great! not as overwhelming as I expected! I took plenty of "cleansing breaths" and meditated on this beautiful scene from our visit to Big Bear...


I'd say that's exactly the way to return to work... after a two week break... 

PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION: JANUARY 2012

PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION ~ January 2012

Kat Sloma ALWAYS finds a way to peak my interest ~ whether through her online courses which fine-tune my photography skills or helping defining my creative eye through photo composition ~ In her newest monthly offering, PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION, Kat is appealing to the photographer's inner thoughts ~ memories & their connections to photographs. Photos that tug at the heart! for whatever reason.

She asked us to review our JANUARY photo files for the one photo that "spoke to our heart" ~ after much deliberation, I decided on this photo.

Initially, I selected this photo for the rich red color of the London phone booth, which happens to be a Christmas ornament. Actually, we left this ornament out after the holiday season as a reminder of the three weeks we rented a flat in London to experience life in this bustling city!

The London phone booth brings back a FLOOD of memories...

• watching families walk to work & school {from our 9th floor window}
• buying groceries in the corner market
• using the TUBE (daily} or relying on our feet to transport us on our next adventure
• visiting {& revisiting} the London museums & famous landmarks
• seeing four live performances on London stages {including the stage performance of WAR HORSE}
• getting caught in a London downpour
• stopping for tea time each afternoon

JPE & I documented our London adventure in this blog, starting HERE! with a post & pictures of our day's events.

What this picture also represents is the awe & wonder of really looking at the amazing architecture found in this city. Wandering the streets armed with day packs, we soaked up the energy from this sprawling city & marveled at brick, stone, intricate carvings, amazing ironwork gates & fences, and the canopies of well established trees shading the cobblestone walkways... ah! it's hard not become intrigued by the history, the people & the evolution of this cosmopolitan city... it's a true heart connection!

To learn more about Kat's PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION, please click HERE! the link to post your January photo is live until February 7th. 

CHRISTMAS MAGIC...

pic taken 12.1.11

:: the gifts are wrapped ::

(bagged & sorted for the location to be dropped)

:: suitcases lay open on the bedroom floor ::

(warm? or chilly? what clothes to pack?)

:: washer & dryer are whirling with activity ::

(dislike leaving dirty clothes in the hamper)

:: tidying up the refrigerator ::

(don't want any surprise fungi growing in our absence)

:: haven't made cookie dough... sinus infection! ::

(second day of antibiotics ~ should be feeling better soon!)

:: will see Lydia before she leaves for OHIO ::

(the holiday festivities begin tomorrow)

:: today = puttering & tidying up ::

(& an afternoon bubble bath)

:: TONIGHT ::

(spending time w/JPE & a good night's sleep)

:: NOTE TO MOM ::

did you read that I was NOT trying

to do everything on my LIST?

Tomorrow - on the road again!!!

How about you?

are you traveling for the holidays?

or do people come to your house?

DELIGHT-FUL DISCOVERIES 11.9.11

"teaser photo" from my archives

I rarely visit U-Tube, but

EZ Pudewa @ CREATURE COMFORTS
had posted this little teaser,
"VIDEO & 288,000 JELLY BEANS"

I figured out how to upload U-Tube videos!

so, check this video
(BTW ~ I didn't know this singer before today)... 
BUT, I L-O-V-E jelly beans!!!! 

and, COlOR & CREATIVE EXPRESSION...

Wanna see how the video was created? 

!!! AMAZING ENERGY !!!

young adults + creativity

Sort of BRIGHTENS your day, huh?