hello cute people!
i’m back from my retreat to the wilds of montecito and the santa barbara coast. and of course if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you know it’s one of my favorite parts of the planet.
rolling out of bed and into my chariot each morning. off to hendry’s!
straight to this water, this sky, this place.
each dawn, a benediction.
watching that yellow star we follow rise in the east.
and set in the west at butterfly beach. which, this time of year happens to be in the water!
unlike most of the rest of california, the santa barbara coast faces south.
i was originally only coming here for a few days, but changed my mind and decided to stay all week. which meant i had to switch abodes mid-visit. the first spot wasn’t available anymore by the time i changed my mind. and i’m so glad it wasn’t!
…because i got to experience this old cottage studio tucked behind a hedgerow. built around 100 years ago by architect & developer william brownell.
the tall windows made me feel like i was sleeping under a tent of stars.
when i wasn’t walking on the beach, i had towers of books piled up on either side of me.
i found this poor sad teddy face down in a dusty closet. i scooped him up, wiped him off, and tucked him in for a nap.
i scribbled a bit in my sketchbook.
and wrote volumes in my journal.
i normally do everything i can to avoid chatting with the owners of the places i rent. but i ended up in a long chat one late afternoon with the dear woman who owned this cottage, an antique dealer and long-time resident of montecito.
she told me some wonderful stories of this cottage and the woman who lived here for 60 years. also told me about a trail i hadn’t known of before.
among the books was one about the old estates of montecito. it thrills me to learn the history of a place as told through it’s old houses.
grateful for my quiet week. happy thanksgiving dear american readers! hope you had a good week puttering around, absorbed in the activities that please you.
see you soon!
Hi Mary Ann, Thanks once again for letting me travel with you on another exciting adventure. I love where you stayed and oh the ocean. I can hear it calling. Hoping to go to the Oregon coast soon. Would love to be in Santa Barbara or Montecito in that darling cottage.
Montecito is one of my favorite places on earth. The old Miramar Hotel, composed of affordable little cabins I visited with my family in adolescence no longer exists as it was (though it did persist long enough for me to go there as an adult with my wife). The whole region has an old world timelessness–a throwback to a simpler, smaller time. As I remember, the highlights of all of our trips were similar walks on the beach and building fanciful ‘fires’ in the fireplace with Duraflame logs.
I’m grateful for the memories…thank you for sharing this latest, lovely dispatch.
You simply amaze me with your beautiful style of writing, your humour, your gorgeous photos and your of course your totally stunning paintings and journals. You are surely blessed with extraordinary talent!!! I also know there are a lot of people with talent but they sit on it and let it die. You have to work hard to be as good as you are!! Thank you for sharing and inspiring me. Bev
well doggoneit beverley, that certainly is a lovely thing to hear and i thank you for it…
Well, I wish I could escape to Montecito! The next best thing is having you tell us about it and share your pictures and sketchbooks. You’re the best travel companion, dear Mary Ann.
why thank you, dear carol 🙂
What a lovely place to stay! I have always dreamed of living in a cottage just like that one, in a small town and becoming the town character. That cottage has everything I love. Lots of wood, bookshelves, old things, and that DOOR! Love it. Love your little paintings too, especially the cup. After your last post, I purchased that Nathalie Lete book, and am enchanted by her art, so thank you for that lead. Like you, when I get onto something I study it/them until I know as much as possible about it. Previous to Nathalie I was fixated on Sargy Mann, the blind artist, and watching videos about him on YouTube. The man was a genius in my opinion. After Sargy Mann I went back to an older fixation of Grey Gardens. If you haven’t seen Grey Gardens, it is the terribly intriguing story of Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ black sheep family who were very eccentric, a little crazy (define crazy) and sadly, living in squalor. But something about “Little Edie” endeared her crazy self to me. She fascinates me completely. She has passed away since the movie about her and her mom.
Glad you got out of town for a break. You work so hard and def deserve it! Oh! I found a small but lovely old artists sketch book from the 20’s with some 50 paintings, and sketches, I think from Italy (?) that I purchased for $20.50 off of eBay. I don’t think the person knew what it was worth, since everything else they sold was sports related. SCORE! Will post some from it on Instagram when things settle down a bit.
i did watch and love grey gardens.
sketchbook? excyouse me! send pics! must see.
i’m hardly on IG these days, alas.
As always I love your new post. What a pretty place you are! Adore this little studio and the old books .
still looking forward to meeting you someday in spain!
Your photos are so breathtaking and captivating. And your lovely prose…👌. Thanks so much for sharing snippets of your life! 🙏
hey thanks for reading bev..it’s nice to know my dispatches are landing on nice people’s doorsteps
I look forward to reading your posts in my bed cuddled with Raffi , the Sheltie and Wilbur Biden the enormous collie puppy. They take me to MA land. I know you love your solitude, but feel free to invite me if you want a pal, albeit a little kvetchy but kindhearted one! Xo
you know i need my dose of kvetch! and we must resume our yiddish lessons xoxoxo
Looks gorgeous there. I have been to California several times but never really in between LA and SF. Guess I know where my next trip to that state will be. Glad it was a wonderful holiday week off. Mine was quiet but just what the “doctor” called for. It will be Monday and back to school all too soon. 🙁 Hugs-Erika
oh love hearing from you erika…yes..back to work on monday. it came too soon, but in a few weeks i’ll be off for winter break for 3 weeks. you too?
Your pictures made me feel like I was in the garden of my dreams..
Lovely
hi jane 🙂
oh, that last photo of the periwinkle blue & white quilt was just awesome….
you really have introduced us to so many wonderful cabins/cottages/casitas over
these wonderful blog years….
Holly
i should have made a category long ago called CCC !!!
Magnolias are the best!
I am glad you had a chance to stay on.
I too adore local history, our people, our culture.
Thank you for sharing,
Lorraine Gallo
so many worlds to explore!
Super charming cottage and a beautiful area! Should be a very fun time🙂
Another discovery, so glad you could stay on… hugs 💕💕
thought of you every single night at the ocean. glad we both got to see leaping dolphins!
That looks lovely! I’d like to join you.