Northern Exposure

The purpose of our road trip was to gather with my cousins to celebrate

out paddling 3 days before her birthday

the 90th birthday of my amazing Aunt Kay.

Our rendezvous location was Fort Bragg which is nearly at the top of California

where the coastline is quite different from that of Southern California.

We stayed at a funky motel right on the ocean just a short walk to the famous Glass Beach.

We almost missed it because we were expecting a little more signage than this, but the road to the beach is under construction.

Glass Beach abounds in sea glass due to years of dumping garbage into the area - we couldn't find any sand beneath the glass.

On our hunt for Glass Beach, we passed cute cottages

with gardens that made me envious because we don't have the water for my garden to still be blooming.

We strolled through the downtown area of Fort Bragg

and my aim was to find Pippi's Longstockings.

 I had done my research and finally found a store that carries Maileg.

I had my pick of elves and other Maileg products.

But, I contained myself (and my wallet) by choosing just 2 little pixies.

I was not physically able to kayak with everyone so Steve and I drove to Mendocino which provided a blast of sunshine and color.

Charming houses - many of them are B & B's,

picket fences

and bay windows abound in the quaint coastal town of Mendocino.

So many picturesque views . . .

so little time.

We scouted out the Mendocino Hotel

where we would gather later for the birthday party.

Our getaway north with my crazy family was perfect - except for the 10 hour drive home.

Life in a (different) little cottage by the sea

When KC graduated from college, she worked a season in the mountains to get her fill of skiing/snowboarding, before beginning her climb up the corporate ladder.

As a waitress in a ski resort, she had to work on Christmas and I was not happy about her being alone and not having her with us.

Thus began a new family tradition.

Every year, since 2003, we have taken a family ski vacation instead of buying lots of presents. 

The planning of our Christmas vacation begins in August so we can find a house that fits our purposes - not too big or too expensive!

Things went along great for several years, but our luck ran out.

Two years ago we rented a house in Santa Fe where Christmas Eve is magical with thousands of luminarias lighting up Canyon Road.

But, we only got in one day of skiing due to lack of snow.

Last Christmas we rented a wonderful house in Tahoe City with a gorgeous lake view and several ski resorts just a short drive away, but alas, there was so little snow that we got in only one very lackluster day of skiing.

In August, we decided that we did not want to risk planning a ski trip again this year.

We set our trusty travel agent (KC) on the trail of a tropical Christmas.

She found us a "little cottage by the sea" in Kauai.

Not this cottage on Hanalei Bay

or this Hanalei Bay house either - definitely not in our price range.

And not this house overlooking Hanalei Bay.

The photo is actually the view from the deck of "The House of Birds" as it is called by the owners.

It is a fun little house with one great room upstairs

and 2 bedrooms downstairs.

Although I live at the beach, I don't live in a 'beach' house so 'beach' themed furniture doesn't fit in.

It is just right for "The House of Birds".

The owners have decorated the house perfectly for its setting and purpose.

 Hawaiian flowers in my favorite palette of red, yellow and green.

I love wicker furniture, but it doesn't fit in my little Tudor cottage.

In this beach house, it is just the ticket.

Tapa cloth is hung as art

and native gourds and shells serve as decoration.

This little cottage by the sea is just what we needed.

No ski equipment, no heavy jackets - just bathing suits and flip flops.

Instead of skiing, it is kayaking, stand up paddling, hiking and swimming.

We love to ski, but as we sat out on the lanai last night eating dinner, JP's toast was,

"Here's to a new family tradition - Christmas in the tropics."

Steve's only suggestion was that next year the kids pay.

I won't hold my breath!

Mele kalikimaka

Day Trippin'

Steve and I rarely take a vacation in the summer.

We live in paradise and with everyone else on vacation in the summer we prefer to take our getaways during my October school break and winter ski trips.

This summer we planned several day trips.

Yesterday, KC flew to Southern California for a girls' weekend in Laguna Beach.

Several weeks ago she mentioned to me that her flight was much earlier than her friends so she would work remotely in the airport while she waited for the others.

Instead, we drove down to Laguna to get some time with her and to explore one of my old favorites.

It was a blessing for KC because the others were to arrive at 11:30 a.m., but their flight did not leave San Francisco until 1:00 p.m.

This little cottage in Laguna Beach is the reason I live in a beach house today.

a screen shot from Google street view

I have always loved the beach, but my parents were not beach people.

The only time we would go to the beach would be for my mom to visit her cousin who lived in Laguna Beach.

I loved visiting Cousin Gladys in this charming little house on Wave Street, just 1 block from the beach.

Gladys had the most exquisite taste in decorating and after beach time, I would just sit and look around her house and soak in all the details.

Some of my favorite memories took place in this little cottage.

As we walked along the boardwalk, I shared Laguna stories with KC and Steve and they kindly indulged me and feigned interest.

The lifeguard tower is cute just like the rest of town.

 We stopped in at Tuvalu just to see what was there and to get some inspiration.

Steve stretches his own canvas so I have a big pile of leftover scraps that I just washed.

I think I will make a few of these pillows.

I love the heart made from bits of driftwood.

There isn't much driftwood on our beach, but if we head up to the estuary we will find a wonderful supply of bits to create this heart.

I have been into clock faces and found some great large pieces, but I really have no wall space since our home is Steve's art gallery.

This wonderful clock was about 3 feet in diameter.

And, I wish I could have gotten a better photo of this table because it was beautiful.

I was good and only bought one of these little clock face plates that came in a variety of designs.

Since the girls had still not landed, we headed up the Laguna Canyon to drop by the studio of Ken Auster.

Steve studied under Ken in Taos at Donner Ranch about 8 years ago and we have always wanted to stop in to see his studio.

Ken showed us around and then generously offered us free passes to The Festival of Art.

We parked and rode the shuttle to the festival.

After viewing some amazing art we headed to Cliff Drive.

Our timing was perfect.

We arrived at the condo overlooking the Pacific to drop KC off just as the taxi arrived filled with her friends.

And then, we had a 3 hour drive to travel the 109 miles back to Ventura.

At home, I looked at my purchases and decided where to place them.

The weight ended up on my "number" mantle.

And the clock face plate ended up in my scale vignette.

 

Day trips are the perfect way to get away without needing to pack or find a sitter for Dorje.

No more day trips for awhile.

This final week of summer vacation is "finish all projects" week.

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