Look Up, Look Down

 Song - In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins cover by Sierra Eagleson

Several weeks ago it was Mr. B & my 41st Anniversary.  We decided to celebrate so he took me to a Tsunami Zone.......well no but yes.  We actually headed to Nick's Cove near Tomales for our first dining out experience in five months!

It was a cool day on the coast but so refreshing to sit outside at the waters edge and enjoy a delightful lunch together. Then we headed over to Bodega Bay to take a long walk on the beach.

And when I looked up......

I spotted lot's of Forster's Terns......

 

 

And Pelican's flying low over the water.

And several colorful kites drifting in the breeze.

When I looked down I saw.....

.....Wimbrel's looking for crabs with their long curved beaks.....

....an elaborate sand castle with a moat dug all around it and feather & pebble decorations.....

...and a blooming red bulb seaweed........

....bits of shells......

...interesting feathers.....

and this sweet little flowering plant that I have never seen before.

And when I looked up again....

...I spotted this sea monster looking at me!

Happy Anniversary Mr. B - And here is to many more.....

"Because of our routines 

we forget that life is 

an ongoing adventure."    

--Maya Angelou

Blissful Moments

Song - Sierra by Boz Scaggs

I have been "unplugged" for the last three weeks up in Lake Tahoe......

I was busy watching wildflowers grow......

....and big puffy clouds move across the sky......

We had warm weather, lightening storms, hail and brilliant sunshine.
 

 

There were ice creams to enjoy at Camp Richardson....

....and a 40th Anniversary to celebrate at Sunnyside.

 My mom came for a few days and enjoyed dipping her toes in the lake.

 After beach time I would return to the cabin to paint, read or enjoy a wild game of Canasta!

Mr. B enjoying a glass of wine with lunch at the Beacon.

An Osprey was spotted on the way home from Angora Lake.....

.....and a Red-Breasted Nuthatch near the cabin.....

....as well as Flickers in the late afternoon.

And chubby cheeked chipmunks ran to and fro getting ready for Fall.

 

And Mr. B got in lots of walks and swims in the lake.

BUT my very favorite part of all.....

...was a visit from this little cutie - my grandson Henry!

He got to dip his toes into Lake Tahoe and.....

...took a warm bath in the cabin's deep kitchen sink!

You know the saying "Go Jump in the Lake"!

Henry's dad and uncle did!!!

 I spotted a mama bear across the street from our cabin.  She had three little cubs stumbling along beside her.  I couldn't get a clear photo of the cubs as she was being protective......

....but later in the day Mr. B found them down another street in the forest.

And that's what I did on my summer vacation.  How about you?

"Laughter is an instant vacation."

--Milton Berle

Stand By Me

Song -  And I Love Her by The Beatles

Thirty nine years ago Mr. B and I said "I Do!" 

We look so serious during our outdoor vows. 

I love the twinkle in my dad's eyes as he hands me off to Mr B. 

I'm thinking that he is wondering if we "kids" know what we are getting into.

We all look a bit more relaxed now that the service was over and the party was about to begin!

Mr. B's brother Bob (in gray) was a classically trained French chef 

and he graciously agreed to cater our reception.

The usual cast of friends (Mr. B and his friends from Chico) were there ready to cheer us on....

My mom and Mr. B dancing with his white man's overbite!!!

Me with my niece Katie and my two brothers Tim and Dave.

Cake cutting time and as I remember we had a carrot cake, a chocolate cake and a vanilla cake 

(guess we couldn't make up our minds).  

Our cake knife was given to us by Mr. B's sister Kristy.

Then Mr. B did the unthinkable.....

I can still hear my mother yelling "Don't you Dare" from across the room!

Time to gather up your bride Mr. B.....

A quick change of clothes and we are off on our honeymoon!

Driving off into the sunset in our chariot......

 err I mean our Toyota Corolla!

Thanks Mr B for 39 years of magic and love! 

"Before you marry a person you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are." 

—Will Ferrell

Thirty-five Years soon!

Song - Les Copains D'Abord by Georges Brassens

 
Next week will be Mr. B and my 35th wedding anniversary and we will be celebrating it this Autumn in France.

For several months now we have been reading all kinds of travel guides, plotting, discussing, reworking and mapping where we would like to visit in France and we finally have all of our hotels reserved and places to see worked out!

And for a special surprise I decided to give Mr. B a love lock while we are in Paris to put on the
Pont de l'Archevêché bridge or the Pont des Arts bridge crossing the Seine.  Last time I was there was with some girlfriends and there were only a few locks on the bridge.

The story is that if you inscribe your names on your lock, lock it onto the bridge and toss the key into the Seine you will have everlasting love.

Well, I looked online for a special heart shaped lock and the day after it arrived in the mail, an article appeared in the newspaper.......

The love locks in Paris are harming the bridges so they are encouraging people to refrain from placing them on the bridge.  They may even cut them down - the locks not the bridges!

So I guess after 35 years we will have to find some other way to show our everlasting love!!!

“There are two bridges in Paris with the locks, you must be very careful which bridge you put your lock on because Pont des Arts is for your committed love, while Pont de l'Archevêché is for your lover.” -- A Paris tour guide

Inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh

Song - Thich Nhat Hanh: A Warm Embrace - The Great Bell Chant

This Autumn Mr. B and I will be traveling to France and celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary!  Just where does the time go?

For several months, we have been working on our plans and figuring out where we would like to go and what we would like to experience.  We will be traveling to some familiar places but we will also go on many new adventures.  Mr. B is so much fun to plan a trip with because he is a warehouse of knowledge and ideas.

As we were planning our trip through the Dordogne, I realized that Thich Nhat Hanh has a monastery and several hamlets in that area.  While researching it further, I discovered that on Thursdays and Sundays the monks and nuns have a day of "mindfulness" open to the lay person.

We will be in the area on a Sunday!

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk who practices mindfulness and peace.  Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.  When not traveling the world teaching, he is at Plum Village, France - gardening, meditating, teaching and writing.

Mr. B has decided that he would rather research the area around Bergerac so that I will have a day of sitting meditation, teaching, Dharma talk and walking meditation.

I so wish I could spend some more time there but I am so grateful for the stars colliding so that I would arrive on a day of meditation.

Anyway, the main reason I was telling you about all of this is that via his Plum Village website, you can download several great apps.  One is the "Bell of Mindfulness" and you can set it to go off on your computer at whatever timed intervals you decide. It makes me smile and breathe every time it goes o I know some days I sit at the computer and get lost and before I know it most of my day is gone.  The "gong" reminds you to breath, center yourself and if you need, stand up and go outside to nature.

It is always nice to have a gentle reminder to breathe.....

Mr. B and his dreamy eyes...

 “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” --Thich Nhat Hanh