SUNBEAMS & RAINDROPS...

patio stone

SUNDAY

raindrops & sunshine

friends for dinner

house guests from Lakewood

GREAT DAY!!

FIVE ON FRIDAY {2.19.16}

Shell Beach, CA

Sunsets along the coast have been stunning!

The "hummers" are storming the feeder! this photo was captured on my iPhone. 

LOLA... our sweet grand-dog!

she's been visiting while Allie & Brian are in Washington DC.

Her expressions "crack-me-up"... I think she was wanting to sit in the sun!

Wednesday's rain fall totaled about 3/4 of a inch. Given the California drought, we are grateful for any rain.

Cambria Pines Lodge

A PRETTY Lady!

posting with FIVE on FRIDAY!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 2.17.16

quote by Okakura Kakuzo (1862-1913) Japanese author, The Book of Tea

Oh boy! it's hump day (the middle of the work week, which I no longer have to think about)...

WEATHER-WIZE: After unseasonably warm weather (mid-80's) we are experiencing chilly weather & had a dash of drizzle this morning. 

HOME-LAND: We are enjoying having LOLA (our grand-dog) for a visit. She's such an adorable Boston Terrier... a real cuddle-bug when she wants to be (usually while you are sitting on the sofa trying to read)! JPE has been training her to run on a slack leash. They run down the center of our condo complex street (away from the distracting smells of the landscape & bushes). It's a kick watching them take off each morning for two times around the complex.

CALENDAR-STUFF: JPE & I are headed to a meeting this afternoon. Even though we have both retired from SLO County Office of Education, we still maintain ties with our community agencies... 

Don't you love this picture? it was taken on a trip to Virginia/Washington DC this past October. The leaves had just started turning COLORS... I envy those who have "seasons" they must adjust to... On the coast (Pismo Beach, CA) we have few seasonal changes... 

Allie & Brian are in Arlington/Wash DC visiting SLE & MB. They have enjoyed the "hushed" sounds of falling snow on Monday, then Tuesday, they were treated to a "chilly downpour" that turned the snow into slush & ice. Other than wanting to experience more snow, they have enjoyed the "constant readjustments to their surroundings."

Will plan to see you tomorrow...

posting to Wordless Wednesdays

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.5 {2016}

Saturday, we took a drive to Montana de Oro... about 25 minutes from our house. There are H.U.G.E. cliffs with sweeping views of the midnight blue ocean. Waves were pounding the rocks, people stood along the bluffs enjoying the wind and watched the storm blow in. It was sooooo GOOD to be out in nature...

Hopping rocks, looking in tidepools, exploring between the incoming tide... A few RANDOM samples of ocean life. 

Some FUN... a break from procrastinating

(still decluttering the bathrooms,

honestly, I haven't gotten far...).

Too late for Christmas, but it was certainly FUN mailing this ornament to Allie & Brian. 

• I photocopied both sides of their wedding invitation on card-stock, cut it into slivers of paper, which I rolled around a pencil & dropped them inside this glass bauble.
• Then I punched purple(s) & green confetti from the crepe paper I used to make their wedding flowers. 
• Here are the photos I sent to family showing them how this looked. Since no one had seen the ornament, I labeled the arrows showing them what the curled paper pieces were... C.U.T.E. & FUN!

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.4 (2016)

Not just GOOD, but GREAT...
we had four days of rain
(off & on, but still much appreciated).

A RANDOM act...

JPE made turkey noodle soup with leftovers from last Thanksgiving... YUM!

Adorable decorations @ Lewis & Clark!!

Saturday, JPE & I went to Santa Barbara to "window shop"

(Ummm. I confess, actually, I spent a gift card)...

visited my favorite three stores - all located on State Street

Anthropologie, Paper Source and Lewis & Clark.

three FUN shops!

posting with Tamar at Random-osity

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V50

Sunday, December 13, 2015 - rain beading up on roof of my car

As I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, the Central Coast of California got a bit of rain! Californians get EXCITED about rain due to our multi-year drought. So, anytime we get ANY rain (we had less than 1/2 of an inch yesterday)... that is the "talk about town". A GOOD reason to celebrate!

Monday, December 7, 2015 - Bunco party treats

Last Monday, I hosted our Bunco Holiday celebration. No, we still don't play BUNCO, in fact, we don't even know who has the box (with dice, scorecards & pencils)??? but, we DO love to EAT & TALK about what's happening with our families... All of us are at different stages of our lives. A few are retired, most have grandchildren, a few have grown children who are getting married or defining their career paths, and almost all of us have creative interests (gardening, sewing, painting, decorating, baking or entertaining). 

JPE made dinner for us - lasagna, fresh olive bread and I added a kale salad (prepackaged from Trader Joe's). As everyone arrived, we munched on dried apricots, nuts, crackers & cheese. 

If you haven't tried this cheese, run (yes, run, because it's a seasonal treat) right out to Trader Joe's for a chunk of STICKY TOFFEE Cheddar Cheese. It's not a very pretty cheese (color, bleech!) but it's filled with toffee bits, raisins & dates... a RANDOM tidbit to add to your holiday eating!

Arroyo Grande Village Holiday Party - store window

I'm first to admit I cannot draw... but I do like to try my hand at lettering signs. I created a chalkboard drawing for Allison's and Stephanie's wedding. It was an opportunity to add my personal, FUN touch to their very unique weddings. If you haven't tried chalk lettering, Pinterest is the place to search ideas, or better yet, visit Lily & Val to order a copy of this book... The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering, by Valerie McKeehan. 

Well, must get to my house cleaning! then run a few errands before meeting JPE in San Luis Obispo for dinner with friends. YEAH! 

posting with Tamar at Random-osity!!

give her blog a peek! & tell her I sent you!!

PLUI = REGEN = LLUVIA = RAIN

 Sunday December 13, 2015

 chimes a' singing

a crossword puzzle word for MOM!

PLUVIOPHILE describes ME! 

WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME?

quote by Shira Tamir, blogger

Tuesday... A relaxing day?!?

Plumber came to fix the backed-up drain...

Took Mom to get a massage from Patricia...

JPE bought a turkey...

(having our Thanksgiving feast Friday) 

Talked to Allison & Brian...

(Lola photobombed our FaceTime visit)

Began our House of Cards Marathon...

(watching ALL 13 episodes of Season 3 w/mom)

Listened to the rain...
(considering a rain dance for more rain tomorrow)

WHAT A DIFFERENCE...

taken this morning at 8:30am

What a difference a few days make!

L.O.V.E. the R.A.I.N. 

WHAT IF I....

view from my kitchen window this morning

I'm OVER-THINKING...  OVER-REACTING...

OVER-PLANNING...  OVER-PROJECTING...

OVER-VISUALIZING...  OVER-LOOKING...

OVER-EVERYTHING...

I'm feeling like an OVER-ALL mess!

BUT, looking out the window this morning, I'm reminded that

I'm not OVER-WINTER!

Looks like Spring has arrived on my patio.

I'm hoping we haven't bypassed the
"cold snap" & "rain"
that generally passes our way in
January-February-March.

Weather reports mention we "could" get some rain Saturday. 

Perhaps I'll do a rain dance today?

it will wash the dark mood away.

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)...

10 on 10 ~ SEPTEMBER 2014

"dripping wet"

morning fog {7:55am}

drive to work
{along Hwy 101, just past Avila Beach, CA}

sheep are still grazing {work}

S.U.N.S.H.I.N.E.
{taken only 30 minutes after the previous picture}!

Lunch BBQ ~ Nancy "flipping the burgers"

yummy "BBQ" roasted corn from Farmer's Market

drove through Pismo Beach
{way home from work}

see the "fog bank" on the horizon?

AMAZING!!

 fog doesn't obstruct the ocean view at the end of the day!
{BUT! fog IS on the horizon}

Clam Festival is coming!

chowder tasting & music! 

{one of the concrete "clams" that advertise coming events}

pet store? t-shirt shop? restaurant?

guess again...

it's the Tiger Rose Tattoo shop in Pismo Beach 

"enjoying the sun"

coleus in the front planter
{home... sweet... home}

posting at "10 on 10"

hosted by Rebekah @ A Bit of Sunshine

{10 photos taken on the 10th day of the month}

GOOD RANDOM FUN {WEEK 28}

we had a "smattering" of raindrops, too!

looking through my "stash" of spray paints! 

ta! da!

some patio changes! ZERO money spent!

posting with Tamar @ RANDOMOSITY

(S)PUTTERING... PAINTING...

(S)PUTTERING... PAINTING....

looking for some photo ops that can be created with WATERLOGUE

Mom, Jodi & family have been here since last weekend...

Jodi's family has been "GLAMPING"

{camping?  in their trailer... with hook-ups}

Sunday evening - getting set-up!

Yesterday, we took a walk into Pismo Beach

& got caught in a downpour!

on the walk home!

Mom, Katie, Felix, Matthew, Archie & Derek

I took these photos on the pier, BEFORE the downpour...

this photo even shows evidence

of the spitting sky!

finishing lunch at Garland's

The downpour began about 5 minutes after this picture.

We walked the kids back to the trailer...

{JPE drove my mom home}

It was quite the adventure!

Something I think the kids will remember as FUN??

hope so!!!