hello out there. i’m just here tucked away inside the air conditioned walls of moss cottage. there is not so much as a breeze to soften the heat, so for now porch sitting is out of the question. we’ve entered the hottest part of the year with our mild days of summer behind us. september always ushers in her long hot days with temps in the 100’s. dry blistering heat that makes you hope your a/c doesn’t choose now to go out. too late. mine did! but i have 2 units and the remaining one is working marvelously. while i await repair i hold out hope that we don’t get any days over 100.
if there’s one thing i detest, it’s having to deal with repairmen of any kind. Getting Things Fixed. oh how i hate it. if i was a parent of a girl i would make sure she had the opportunity to apprentice under a handyman so she would know how to fix things when she grew up. how to repair simple things – like clean air filters in mini-split units. who knew you had to pull those suckers out and wash them in the sink from time to time? not i! alex gave me a real scolding when he came out the other day. and when he asked when was the last time i cleaned the filters i looked at him with an idiotic expression and said, “um…never.”
i look forward to the window guy coming out soon. i am practicing my answer now, for when he asks, “but why didn’t you try and remove the screens before now!?”
what else is new?
i spent the last couple of days on the coast. left my 33 students behind and headed north on thursday after school. i was dying to be near the water. to walk all alone on the shore at dawn. breathe in the salty air.
above: hendry’s beach as seen from the douglas family preserve, where i went for my last stroll before heading home yesterday. long tendrils of fog rolled up from the water far below and through the tall trees as i walked the trails. i always make sure to visit at least once when i’m in santa babs.
caught a few sunsets – one alone and one with dearest sharron. carpinteria below.
butterfly beach below.
school started. i’ll tell you all about my new class soon. i have a nice group of kids.
but for now let’s zoom into the shore, where our feet are actively gliding across the sand.
look down. what do you see?
i like this shot of the snowy egret…looks like he’s gazing at his own reflection, but of course that’s not actually what he was doing. they use their yellow feet to agitate the water and sand – foraging in the tide pools for their prey which they quickly pounce upon with their pointy bills.
mesmerizing.
i long for the day when i’m living within a few miles of this place. that day is on the horizon, but still feels like a very long way off. september 11th will mark my 30th anniversary in LA. i never imagined i would want to live anywhere else, but there you have it – now i do. the urban tangle has grown too large.
if mendocino wasn’t so remote it would be my chosen place. less populated and everything is a bit wilder, but i’m afraid practical considerations such as airports and hospitals have to be taken into account.
dottie & carol & i enjoyed our week so much we’re planning to return again same time, next year.
have you seen this film?
it takes place in mendocino county. found the dvd online and watched it after i returned home. so good!
carol took this photo with her phone’s timer when we were at the mendo coast botanic gardens. i must acquire a frame and hang it on the wall.
a few more shots from our trip to mendocino.
3 tectonic plates meet in this area of california. the american, pacific, and the gorda plates. and it is here that the coast ranges continue to be formed. the scenery is spectacular with sea stacks, sea caves, waterfalls, and hidden coves. the san andreas fault lies in the waters just off shore. living, breathing earth in the process of changing. such a marvel!
the headlands make for dreamy walking. if you’ve never been i’m going to declare them one of california’s greatest natural wonders. you can find blackberry & rose brambles, douglas iris, bracken fern, clovers, meadowfoam, and coast buckwheat. there is a veritable sea of bunch grasses and other native plants on the coastal prarie atop the headlands.
how we moss sisters did enjoy our exploratory rambles far and wide down the footpaths above the blue waters of the mighty pacific.
this is where i say adieu until next time, friends. keep me posted on your own meaderings both physical and metaphorical. i’ll just be here soaking up the heat. waiting for some cool evenings to sit again out on the porch.
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That first shot on sand, with the seaweed — my first thought was “how did a morel mushroom get on the beach?” Lol!
Love this post!
You sisters are so fun!
I love your photos. What a beautiful area.
Charming art work. You are such a delight😊❤️
No meanderings this summer, but I took a pottery class at a local college. My work schedule is back to 2nd shift so I can’t take any more lessons. Looking around for a private teacher, though! Re-reading Laurie Colwin’s books. Have you read her work? I highly recommend it! Good luck with your new class!
we did visit that beautiful area October, 2010….definitely would like to return to go along the coastal walking paths…our next adventure is one week away, it will be two weeks in Colorado (Denver, Estes & Boulder) for our first visit. Looking forward to walks, doing some cyanotypes of western leaves & grasses, adjusting to higher altitudes, and an art weekend with Jone Hallmark at 2 Hands Paperia in Boulder. Bliss
Lovely pics. The one with your sisters is so precious. It looks like you were reenacting the “So Long, Farewell” scene from the Sound of Music. Were you singing “Cookoo Cookoo?” I am just here doing much piddling around. I did submit a flash fiction piece to a contest so I have some rejection to look forward too. I am taking an oil painting class at a local community college and having fun pretending that I know what I am doing. And taking a French class online. OMG my middle school french is coming back to me! I plan on learning enough French so I can go to Paris and paint en plein air in a long white smock with a huge straw hat, just like Van Gogh. In the meantime, eagerly awaiting a new MAM class. I know you have something brewing upstairs and can’t wait to see what you come up with:) TTFN
violet cadburry bunny always such a pleasure to hear from you and what’s happening in your life and especially your glowing magnificent inner world. i will go with you to paris and wear an even bigger hat. we can have a paint out on the seine just north of paris where the impressionists once hung out. if i can remember how to get there and which train to take.
So good to see the pictures of the area my mother was born in-a house her grandfather built at the corner of Little River and Carlson streets, not far from the cliffs.
This area is so beautiful and remains the same, which is so special, these days. I’m glad you went there and loved it, too. Good for you!
next time i am there i want to drive by and see where your ma was born…glad you told me.
Love the work in the sketchbooks. You are also quite a talented photographer. That movie is one of my favorites. I caught it on the late, late picture show as a teen. Happy travels.
thanks tina 🙂 the late late picture show – that is nostalgic..sigh
Hi Mary Ann–I love the lavender sunset pic, plus the pic of you and sisters. Good luck with your new class!
Never would get to see the California coast if not for your lovely photos. Love the one of the “three laughing sisters”. 🥰
Wonderful photos! Thank you for sharing your adventure.
I love all the patterns in the sand from the sea life moved by the water!!!!!
Let’s meet in 30 minutes at our favorite sitting spot at the Goodlife.
Sister!!!!
Always love your posts–wonderful photos as always–Same Time Next year–one of my all time favorite movies!!
What a great sisters’ trip! My favorite page is the first one with the wildflowers–great color. You’ll relive your time there, every time you look at that colorful page.
WOW Mary Ann… such beautiful photos and of course you v.v. Special way of describing your life adventures. I’m sitting in my bed at the moment… two loyding purring cats on me because I have just heated the huggie… well that’s what I call it (microwave bag), and do we LOVE it on these very cold and chilly mornings here in Cape Town at present. I’ve got all my journalling paraphernalia around me and thats what I’m doing now while dreaming of far away travels and rambles and beach walks and NOT repairmen! Lotsa love, Bev aka lillibjane xx
oh beverley..there you are in your other world enjoying a cool morn with your cat peeps. how i do enjoy hearing from you with news from far away. xo
You’re back! I am so enjoying the beautiful photos of your latest adventures. I really do need to step away from the east coast to experience all the beauty you have in CA. This weekend I am bracing myself for the beginning of the school year which begins day after tomorrow. It will be a busy year for sure, so I am painting and making books like a madwoman and trying to fit all the fun into the last couple of days. Enjoy the weekend and thank you for taking us along on your journeys.
happy new school year. enjoy these last bits of FREEDOM!!!
Loved the Mendocino memories, that classic timer shot makes me smile … xox