Life Lessons


"Figuring out our gifts in life is part of our journey to becoming enlightened human beings.” – Allison DuBois

Monday, March 21, 2016

Ancient Highway

Song - These Are the Days by Van Morrison


Another road trip with Mr. B.






 Back to the Gold Country for......





 Wildflowers......




 Time together........



 Beautiful weather.....




Snow in the distance......





And a few short cuts!
 
Remember how I have told you that Mr. B loves back roads?




Well this time it worked out!  We took a small back road that turned into a gravel road, 
to my art show at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys. The above photo is not Ironstone but a small winery along the road.  The above photo is not a driveway but is the actual road.



From early in the morning Saturday until early evening, 
the roads in and out of Murphys were grid-locked. 

But my quick thinking honey remembered a sneaky way into town and the winery!











Voila!  

We made it in plenty of time for the Daffodil-Tulip show, the Art show.........




And into town for Irish Day!!!





Along with a few thousand other people.



People were out in their finest greens....




After the crowds died down, we had a relaxing dinner outside on this veranda with some great food!

 




However, Mr. B forgot to wear green and was thrown into the Pokey!


"I don't like jails, they got the wrong kind of bars in there." --Charles Bukowski

I don't like jail, they got the wrong kind of bars in there. Charles Bukowski
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/jail.html

Friday, March 18, 2016

Home Sweet Home

Song - Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

As some of you may know, a wedding will be taking place in our backyard in September!  Our oldest son and his wonderful girlfriend have asked to be wed in our yard.


 


So I have been strolling around the yard for the last several weeks, pouring over plant catalogs, making garden plans and taking a few visits to local nurseries to see what my options are for beautiful blooms that time of year. I have a few idea's up my sleeve!





As I was walking around, I noticed the bird house that Andy placed up in an Oak tree in our shade garden.  I saw a pair of Black-Capped Chickadee's on the tree beside it last week.



Then several days ago I noticed something inside the hole but I couldn't quite make it out. When I got out my zoom lens, it just looked like a blur inside.



But today I noticed something move!




When I zoomed in on the hole, it looked like a lot of fuzz and maybe a few feathers!!! Not sure what to make of it but I am hopeful!  Even though I have fed the birds for years, this is the first bird house we have ever put up.



Other than our ladder on the side of the house which is inhabited again this year!  No sign of babies yet but mom & dad are taking their turns sitting on the nest. If you need to borrow a ladder, you'll have to wait a few more weeks!



 This is where the sweethearts are planning on having their ceremony - the side lawn. It is in need of some tender loving care as last year we had to let it die because of the California drought.  Right now it's green because of the recent rains but it's mostly weeds.....




Mika is hoping to be the flower girl or at least be invited!!!



"Weddings are important because they celebrate 
life and possibility."  -- Anne Hathaway
Weddings are important because they celebrate life and possibility.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_wedding.html
Weddings are important because they celebrate life and possibility.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_wedding.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Making it to Murphys

Song - Casadh an Tsugain/Frankie's Song from the movie Brooklyn by Iarla O Lionaird

Saturday Mr. B and I drove to Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys, CA to drop off some paintings that were accepted into an upcoming show. It was a beautiful day for a road trip!


The California central valley was as green as Ireland.



We drove by hundreds of old barns, many collapsing and returning to the earth.


Wildflowers were abundantly sprinkled on the hillsides in purple, blue, orange, yellow and red.



And snow could be seen on the distant Sierra's.




We arrived after a few of Mr. B's "short cuts" (ie - dirt roads, roadrunners, wrong turns, need gas now warnings, cliffs, etc.)


Ironstone is hosting the 2016 Spring Daffodil Show for Northern California and they had barrels of beautiful bulbs blooming everywhere!















We will be heading back up there next weekend for the reception and opening of the Spring Obsession Art Show! Beautiful country this time of year.........

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." --Mark Twain





Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Hope you can join me!


Three of my paintings were juried into Ironstone Vineyards Spring Obsession Show.  Hope you can join me for the Reception on March 19th!

Thursday, March 3, 2016

87 - 30 - 40 thru 11 thousand years ago

Song - Say Goodbye to Hollywood by Billy Joel

Several birthday were celebrated in February.....



Mom turned 87 and still looks and acts 67!  We drove out to Tomales and had lunch outside on the deck at Nick's Cove. It was a glorious day!



The bartender there was making up some drinks and photographing them on the railing.  He was just going to dump it after the photo shoot so mom & I volunteered to be taste testers! The beautiful green rolling hills and farm animals were like my mom said "it's almost like going to Europe!".



 My middle son, Jon turned 30 on the 28th!  Yipes......just when did that happen! So Mr. B and I drove down to LA to spend a few days with him.

Almond trees blooming along Hwy. 5




Power lines that seemed to go on forever




The Grapevine at noon





Jon & Mr. B


 For his birthday we got tickets to see Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra at the Shrine Auditorium on Saturday night.

Waiting at the Shrine

Jon and I were delighted but Mr. B wasn't too sure about all of that mombo-jumbo stuff.



It was amazing!  Both Eckhart & Deepak shared such great information that I thought my head would explode. I could tell that Jon was taking it all in and getting it too!  Believe me there was a lot to "get".  When we left, Mr. B said he was amazed as well and followed most of what they said.  He also looks forward to learning more about awakening to a higher consciousness.



The next day we went to the beach and while Mr. B and Jon took a long walk, I stayed behind to take some photo's of the surfers as it was a "high wave advisory" and a beautiful day! I didn't know it at the time but I was coming down with a cold so I was feeling low energy. I had also seen a whale at Manhattan Beach the day before and I was hoping to get another glimpse!



After the beach we headed into old town Torrance to one of our favorite breakfast places and dined on the sidewalk.



As we headed to north-central Hollywood, I realized that this was the night of the Academy Awards.  Streets were blocked off right and left but lucky for us Jon was driving and he had an app on his phone that told him the quickest route.....well actually it was Morgan Freeman's voice on Waze that told us with authority what the best route was!



The wild animals at La Brea Tar Pits that are being excavated are roughly 40 - 11 thousand years old - that would be the Pleistocene period and it really is surrounded by downtown!


Replica of a mamma getting sucked into the tar and daddy & baby watching helplessly
 There were big bubbles coming up in the above tar pond which I though was just a touch Disneyland-ish but then was told that they are real methane gas bubbles.



These are the real bones that they have uncovered.  An early form of Camel and an adult & baby American Mastodon.  I even got to touch a Saber Toothed Cat skull that a guy was bringing out for display.  Mr. B and Jon were not so anxious to touch it but I was dumbstruck and probably had a fever that was affecting my thought process.

We had a wonderful dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant near where Jon used to live.  Monday Jon had to work so after a tearful goodbye, Mr. B and I headed home.  We did pass some beautiful wildflowers.....




And after a few warm days, the Almond trees looked like they were snowing.....




"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." --Deepak Chopra
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/deepak_chopra.html
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/deepak_chopra.html
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