Monday, June 17, 2013

A Stroll Down Lillie Avenue


Steve and I are about the most boring and predictable people you will ever meet.

We eat sushi every third Friday at the same restaurant, sit at the same table and order the same dishes.

Every Thursday we eat at the same Mexican restaurant- we switch up the booths, but always the same meal.

We walk the beach every morning and people in the ocean front houses tell us they can set their clocks by our beach walks.


But, we are changing that and breaking out of the mold.

One of our summer goals is to do something each week that we don't usually do.

Saturday night  at 9 p.m. we walked over three lanes to be extras in an indie film being shot in a friend's driveway - definitely something different.

We didn't last long at the shoot - extreme disorganization and an incredibly poor plot combined with cold air at 11:00 p.m. sent us home - but hey, we tried.


For Father's Day Steve wanted to go to our usual local breakfast spot.


JP reminded him that we are trying to be different so we drove to Summerland (just south of Montecito and Santa Barbara) for a lovely brunch at Cafe Luna and a stroll down Lillie Avenue.


JP wanted us to see the tower gardens because he is pushing me to start growing my own vegetables and the towers are great for small spaces.


Little spots for seating beckoned us suggesting we sit awhile and not rush home.


A garden shop housed in an old craftsman style cottage gave me ideas for the container of succulents I just received from a friend


Sweet animal topiaries drew me to a children's shop, but I could not entice either JP or Steve to enter so I left it for a visit when the ladies on our lane do a summer shopping day.


I would take any of these great cabinets for my creative space, but the metal drawers kept calling me.

If I was a gazillionaire those metal drawers would be in my garage right now filled with all my supplies.

But, I couldn't convince Steve that I need old shelves priced in the 5 figure range.


I couldn't convince him that we needed an $1,100 birdcage either, but I would it sure would be fun to have all those rusty stars for a 4th of July themed vignette.


I would like to find some old shutters with a lovely chippy patina, but $850 for a pair of shutters is also out of my price range.

Please tell me that all of you who decorate with chippy doors, shutter, ladders, etc. are not spending that much.


Summerland is all of a 15 minute drive up the coast yet in 36 years, we have never visited the little hamlet together.

We enjoyed the beautiful flowers, including my all time favorite Matilija poppies, and just moved slow the rest of the day.

We went for a bike ride along the ocean, read in the garden and sat at the fire pit after dinner.

I did not finish a single project on my 30 Days of Pinterest list.

Our stroll down Lillie Avenue reminded me that I am on permanent vacation and I won't be fired from retirement if I don't finish everything.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I am partying at

Little Red House - Mosaic Monday


27 comments:

  1. I agree with you on the prices... Zowie! Buy some cheap ones at Home Depot, paint them,sand them, then let them sit outside for a year or two...

    But I'm not that patient... oh well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, how fun! I keep telling myself "six more years..."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chippy doors and shutters are on my list to add to our new house too and I've been stumped by prices. I have to tell you something true and embarrassing. You may not have heard of Canton First Monday (flea market) which is here in Texas - it's actually 45 minutes from my house. There's a HUGE section of it where they sell every form of junk you can imagine. The thing is...I've never gone to that section before last time. I just discovered that is the place to buy the chippy doors and shutters. And anything else chippy you can imagine. I found a wealth of blue Ball jars, awesome cans, metal baskets, doors, shutters, windows, everything!! I can't wait to go back again because the prices were very reasonable.

    Good for you venturing out to new things too. We have always been pretty set in our ways but moving has definitely pushed us out of our comfort zones. It's fun trying new places and things.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think it's kind of lovely that people set their watches by your walks.
    Whether you change your routine or not, your retirement sounds pretty great. I was impressed by how much you've achieved in the post before, and I'm sure you'd do well with an etsy shop.
    Then maybe you could buy stuff like the wonderful cubbies and that amazing bird cage !

    ReplyDelete
  5. $850 for a pair of shutters?! I found a pair for $35 and didn't get them and hope if I go back by this place that no one else wanted them.
    We are boring, too. Eat the same Mexican food at least once a week. When we go to Carrabba's Italian we split the same dish every single time.
    You're not alone.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My husband and I have our predictable routines too, which can be comforting, but doing things outside the mold can be fun too. There is no way I could spend that kind of money on architectural pieces. Yikes!!!!
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like a great place for a walk and a poke around but I would not open my purse those prices were very steep.
    Merle......

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such neat things, but oh my, SO out of my price range!!! Fun to look, though! ~Angela~

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Carol,
    I have to join in on being very predictable too. We eat at the same places we love but once in awhile we will try something different and it is fun. Glad to see you ventured out and had a great day.
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm spending more in the quarter or 50 cent range for my vintage items! heehee! Hey...I'm CHEAP!!! But I love your idea about adding some new adventures to each week. It's so much fun to explore! Sweet hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love your goal of trying new things! It sounds like you had such a fun day-love the pics :)
    Susan

    ReplyDelete
  12. 850 bucks for shutters?! That is nuts!! Those blooms are out of this world beautiful! We are pretty predictable here too! Good for you both for shaking it up!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Summerland can be kind of pricey. But it's fun to look. I got some very nice chippy shutters from a yard sale for $2 each. Love all your Pinterest projects. I thought when I retired I'd have plenty of time to do lots of fun things. Somehow my time gets filled up and the weeks fly by! Congratulations on your retirement. Mimi

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wonderful set of images and beautiful flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful flowers and lovely photos. It is nice to try new things, I would love the bike ride at the beach though! Wishing you a happy week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love your idea of doing things we had never done. I'm going to make a list of 6 places I've never been to around the cottage and try to visit them during my summer holidays... I hope I won't get fired if I can't manage to all visit them!

    ReplyDelete
  17. OH CAROL!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I have no words to tell you how you make me feel when you post. Do you know that yesterday morning, as I was walking alone, I was talking to myself or maybe even praying.....but I thought about YOU? Your blog takes me back home. I love your posts, I understand the beach life, and there is just something about your photos that makes me think of my parents.

    I like your challenge of doing something out of the predictable schedule. It's actually really good for the mind!

    Wishing you an adventurous day! Anita

    ReplyDelete
  18. Carol,it takes a couple of months before retirement finally sinks in, but you'll enjoy every minute, trust me. Luxuriate in plenty of time to finish projects or not, just as you choose.

    I love the pictures of your excursions. We are trying to do different things lately, too. So far that's been two art gallery openings, one wedding and a cool Belgian restaurant.



    ReplyDelete
  19. Wasn't that fun to break out of your routine and go somewhere new? Look at all you discovered! The prices you mentioned on the birdcage and shutters are ridiculous. I have a beautiful, old, chippy window and mine was free! They were rehabbing an old house in my neighborhood and had this old window sitting by the garbage. Keep your eyes peeled as you drive through neighborhoods...or go to flea markets. Much better prices.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sounds like a lovely day! I haven't been up in that area for years. And, I've never actually stopped to explore Summerland...just passed by and noticed it. I always liked the name. It's such a cute place.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This post resonates with me. Right now Jim and I are getting in touch with the empty nest feelings and are actually excited about it being "us" again...We're talking about doing some different things because we have a wonderfully cozy way of hanging out. In other words, we're very predictable too. haha..
    I love your photos, they really make me feel like I'm there.
    Leslie

    ReplyDelete
  22. What beautiful pictures, looks like we live pretty close to each other. We are In Newbury Park not a very big deal for us to drive to Summerland. I bet you are going to have to adjust to not having to go to work... enjoy Og I found that 4th of July Crepe paper at a local garage sale great score! Hugs, Diane

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a delightful post and bravo to you for 'putting some change' into your life ~ Wonderful photography and so creative ~ Happy Day ^_^

    Thanks for coming by ~ love to have you ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks for sharing the beautiful flowers. Judging from those prices, I would not be buying either. Went to a huge sale to benefit some local charities a few years ago, and over heard some vendors talking about how people were not buy. I wanted to say "no wonder - the prices are outrageous". But stayed quiet and left - without buying anything. I definitely need to change my routine. :/
    Thanks for stopping by and nice comment. I accidentally deleted your comment - I am so sorry. I truly appreciate your visiting and leaving a note just to let me know you were here. The keyboard on my notebook is so sensitive, I have to really be careful - tried adjusting, but have not succeeded.
    Hope you are having a great week.
    Hope you are having a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Love your mosaics and photos! How wonderful for you that you're moving out of your comfort zone and trying new things! So easy to get in a rut!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Summerland looks a great place to visit, it easy to forget lovely places that are closeby.
    Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ouch $850. Not out of pocket. LOL
    I'm sure it was looking but it sounds like the prices were a little high

    ReplyDelete