Oh hi! It's me.
With a little dispatch from the road.
Motoring up the Ventura Highway with the music on high and the windows down. Singing my head off. Hand surfing out the window.
I stopped unexpectedly to stalk some migratory monarchs. They're everywhere! Migrating!
The kind that migrate are like SUPER bionic monarchs. They live 8 whole months. They have extra strong wings.
Those facts courtesy of a sign I read in a Monarch park that I ran into while I was surveying and tracking. Investigating. Tiny orange birds fluttering through the blue sky. Some hanging in clusters on the eucalyptus branches.
I waited around to see who this bike belonged to. I was dying of curiosity. I should have left a note attached to the flag that said, "You're awesome and so is your bike."
In my mind I did. Left the note, I mean.
I landed here. My room was supposed to have a partial view with a side balcony. Nope. They upgraded me to the full ocean view in the FRONT. The front ! The woman behind the counter must have looked at my wild eyes and crazy windblown hair and the big ollalaberry dressing stain on my shirt and decided I needed a room with a view. Okay. Thanks!
The ocean is roaring. A tiny sliver of gold moon is lying on her back over the water. I'm getting ready to hunker down with May Sarton's journal and see what she's up to over in Maine.
Today is Papa Moss' 79th birthday. He's been gone 11 years. Also exactly 9 years to the day I drove up to Moss Cottage for the very first time. It was dark, but I liked what I saw, so I called my realtor friend Lianne and said, "Get me into that house STAT! I gotta see it!!!"
I'll never forget that night. I was so prepared for disappointment, but instead I found a nest to call my own.
You see that church on the right in the picture of Ventura…we stayed there, it is a B &B and the couple who own it are wonderful….and its haunted…….Booo!!! karen…
What a great day…a fabulous trip, an amazing view, memories of your dad, and the anniversary of finding your true home! Awesome!
Liking your day. I know you realize how blessed you are by the wonder and awe within each journal posting. i love your reflections that prove my theory . . . each turn takes you in a direction you were meant to go when you let it happen, everything happens for a reason even tho that reason may not be revealed for quite some time. btw, what’s the name of the place that upgraded you to this fabulous view?!!
im looking at the sun rising on the ocean in front of me lighting up the waves from the inside, readying my things for the journey home. a short trip but just what i needed. now back to the nest, back to moss cottage and the wildcats who live there.
glad you came along for the ride!
Happy birthday to papa Moss. I know he watches over you. How could he not be proud of you! Sometimes I feel my Dad’s presence so close and I hold my breath because I don’t want to break the spell. My Mom is still here (quite the character, too…very bohemian)She reads your blog!! Glad you found Moss cottage…for all of us! 🙂
Beautiful pictures. Lovely thoughts. Enjoy your room with that fabulous view!
Awesome view! Awesome bike! Awesome monarch cluster! Thanks for sharing, and have a great time! 😀
Love going on a trip with you, thanks for showing me how much we enjoyed the day. I can just see you, stopping in to get your room key, with blown hair and a stain on your shirt. I’m laughing cause now you have a grat room. Enjoy your trip.
Mary Ann – I had the weirdest dream last night. You and Betty White were doing a tour together to give talks on Art Journalling and mixed media techniques. You had this whole big display set up at the local mall where you were one-on-one tutorials. You asked me to be your helper to teach some techniques. I was so in awe to be in the same place as you that I kept screwing up and making really ugly art! It was SO weird. Oh, and I don’t know what Betty White was doing, but you guys were definitely a two-person show!
Keep up the good work, Mary Ann! 😀
shannon ganshorn
I saw thousands of monarchs near Monterey six yrs. ago and now have butterfly pics. decopaged on my kitchen wall. Thanks for the memories!
so glad we found the house! As soon as I saw it, I knew it was yours! Have fun this weekend; I am with you in spirit….
Chewing on a piece of grass, Walking down the road…Cause the free wind is blowin’ through your hair, And the days surround your daylight there, Seasons crying No Despair… Enjoy!
Wow — the front! How excellent! Thank you for sharing it with us.
I have loved your Budapest journal. Seriously love the way you turn disparate materials into a bubbly fizzy satisfying whole!
Hmmm…ollalieberry stains. Leads me to believe you are either in or passed through Cambria. Right on. Thanks for taking us with you.
Have a great time Mary Ann. I love the ocean. My parents had a place on the Oregon Coast. my father has been gone 11 years too…miss him too.
Hummm…. every other single solitary comment has been sweet, kind, lovely, and all I can think about is sneaking a ride on that bike.
I want to go there!! Beautiful!!
I love this birthday post for your dad…gorgeous photos…has me day dreaming about Southern California.
Looks like you’re in or near Santa Cruz? Maybe just Ventura. Have a restful weekend, wherever you are. Happy Birthday to your gone daddy, and Happy Anniversary to you in Moss Cottage!
Looks like you are doing just what you need to 😉 A lovely drive in lovely weather in a lovely spot – I think I will live vicariously through you on this trip and take a breath of my own!
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo-ah….road trip!!! And beautiful weather. And salt water, May Sarton and sunsets. Man, that’s the LIFE!
Have a big lungful of all that fresh, sunny salt water air for me. It’s going to be damp and rainy here in the NW. Again.
Have a great time, Road Warrior-ess!
So, if you have an extra moment today, get Dorothy to bring you over to the library (12-4pm) and say “Hi!” You picked a great weekend – our weather has been spectacular the last several days. Remember to check out all the scarecrows in town.
Nice knowing you’re up in our neck of the coast!
Erin in Morro Bay
So, if you have an extra moment today, get Dorothy to bring you over to the library (12-4pm) and say “Hi!” You picked a great weekend – our weather has been spectacular the last several days. Remember to check out all the scarecrows in town.
Nice knowing you’re up in our neck of the coast!
Erin in Morro Bay
So, if you have an extra moment today, get Dorothy to bring you over to the library (12-4pm) and say “Hi!” You picked a great weekend – our weather has been spectacular the last several days. Remember to check out all the scarecrows in town.
Nice knowing you’re up in our neck of the coast!
Erin in Morro Bay
It is bittersweet to remember the loss of a parent. Reading your blog this morning has made my eyes wet with tears remembering my father — he was so much older than my mom and he has been gone 20 plus years. But you make me think of the good times… which is the way it should always be. Enjoy your time away — however brief.
My Gramps’ birthday is on Hallowe’en. He’s been gone 7 years. He’d be 90 if he were alive. I bet your dad was lot like my Gramps-good Scorpio men. A bit crusty on the outside, but a heat of gold on the inside and everyone’s friend. What people always commented on was that he had a smile that could light up a room and he was always smiling. These are a breed of men that are no more.
Oh I am so glad you brought us on this great journey with you. Next time, leave the note! Thanx for making my day, my friend!
beautiful trip, you’re an awesome tourguide…thanks for sharing, blest be! 🙂
I recall that Carol once showed a pic of your lovely Dad on his bike.
You’ve made a beautiful tribute to him, that decent man who cared for animals.
Heavenly photos as always and your voice under each.
The getaway car did good! You have arrived. Enjoy the view, the memories and the making of of more. Donna
Neat about finding your home and wow on May Sarton! I’ve read all her journals years ago and loved her.
“The woman behind the counter must have looked at my wild eyes and crazy windblown hair and the big ollalaberry dressing stain on my shirt and decided I needed a room with a view” you totally rock, lady!!! We are best friends even though we have never met.
THANKS for taking me with you!!
Wow, 11 years and he was so young.
Big day in your life to find your home……..
Live large, sister.