I Really Do Know It's October!

I know it is the beginning of October but in Southern California we have been
having some very warm weather after what has been a very cool summer. 
It's really not so unusual for our area that we are warm at this time of year.

I have been away for a few days and when I returned home today the lovely warm
weather was emphasized by these beautiful new rose blooms to welcome me.

I was going to do a post on more antiques but the weather has me experiencing
a bit of spring fever, so I will post the antiques at another time.  Please enjoy a few
more blooms from my garden this morning.

As you can see, the warm weather has made it nearly impossible for me to accept
that it is October and I should be getting ready for fall!


Debbie of  Love Of The Sea has asked a few of us to answer the following questions.
I don’t ordinarily do this kind of thing but Debbie is so lovely so I thought I would
go ahead and play along with everyone.  Here goes...

• Do you consider yourself a city girl or country girl?
Well, I think I am a country girl at heart. I love living near a city and I do tend to
make use of everything a city has to offer...cultural offerings such as museums,
galleries, all kinds of concert, etc.  Also, I love trying new restaurants and things like
that. But, if I had to choose between living in a big city and living in the country on a
daily basis, I would say I am more of a country girl at heart...but I want to have a
city not too far away.  Oh, and I would like an ocean not too far away too!

• Besides where you live, where is the one other place you would like to live? Why?
I grew up on the East Coast and when I first moved to Southern  California
I lived in Santa Barbara. I loved it. I think it is one of the most beautiful
places. I also love New England and its charm. If I had to choose somewhere
outside of this country it would be Paris or some place in Provence.

• What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night?
Hmmm. That depends on the kind of week I’ve had. If it has been extraordinarily
busy I would probably choose to stay home and relax. If it has been a normal
week then I would definitely want to gather with friends for a nice meal and wine.

• What is the one habit that you really want to break but know you never will?
I wish I could simplify more. I keep trying but I do love to be surrounded by
pretty things and I appreciate their beauty. So it would be difficult for me to live
a life as a true minimalist(I so wish I could). I also love the fun of the hunt...I love
antiquing and thrifting.

• If you could spend the day with one famous person, who would it be and why?
That’s a very difficult question for me because with my work I am surrounded by
well known people on a daily basis. There are many who are very interesting and
are great fun. However, I guess if I had to pick one well known person to
spend the day with it would be Neil Simon, the playwright. I have had the pleasure
of spending lots of time with Neil and we have had wonderful conversations.

• What is your favorite pastime or hobby?
Antiquing, photography, reading, designing, catching up with my wonderful friends,
trying new restaurants, traveling...and the list goes on!

• If you could choose any place in the world to go to - all expenses paid - where
would it be?
I love to travel so I would go to France, Italy, Tahiti, Scandinavia...and the list
goes on!

Now, my instructions were that after I answer the above questions I should pass
them on to other people. But instead of that I think I would prefer that when you
leave a comment,  maybe if you want, you can tell me a little something about
yourself.  Oh yes, if you are a minimalist...do you give lessons!?!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

Red Sun At Night - Part II - And Something New

I have wonderful house guests right now and a few days ago we were driving home from
antiquing/thrifting in Santa Barbara.  I stopped to take a few pictures and remembered
that last May I had done a post about pretty much the same thing.  So if you will forgive
me, because I do have several house guests and need to spend time with them, I will
include some of the same things I wrote several months ago.  I have added several more
tidbits and more pictures. I know I should be writing about fall but it is over 100 degrees
in Southern California right now so we are holding on to summer a bit longer.

It was a glorious, sunny and warm day. My guests and I were late in leaving Santa
Barbara after a lovely day of antiquing/thrifting so we decided to take the coast road
home instead of the freeway to avoid the late afternoon traffic.

Actually, my intention was to show my guests the changes in the sky as the sun would
begin to set.  We were not is a rush.  I guess the surfers around Malibu were not in a
rush either.

The sun was still bright and a wind had kicked up. We passed lots of surfers but our

attention was drawn to the beautiful kites and those people flying above the water on

boards!!!

The kite surfers!

 

We had to pull over and watch these athletes letting the wind pull them around the
ocean with only a kite above them and just a board at their feet. The strength these
guys have is amazing. They surf the ocean and a minute later they are jumping up in
the air as they maneuver kites so they can fly over the water.

 It is truly incredible to watch these extreme sportsmen. I was absolutely in awe of their
strength. We were totally mesmerized as they lifted up in the air..

Exhausted at the end of the flight...

As we drove along I could tell the sky was beginning to change and the sun was casting
shadows and a glimmer on the ocean water.

It seemed like every time we looked toward the ocean the sky was beginning to 

change hue...

Slowly but surely...

Now it was more and more difficult to keep our eyes on the road because our attention
was on the magic light show taking place in the sky. Finally, we just gave up trying to drive.

We quickly parked the car, sat back and enjoyed another magnificent sunset over the
Pacific Ocean.

It certainly looks like the sun is begining to fall from the sky...

A big round ball coming to earth...

Lower and lower...

Kissing the mountains...

And now the sun is saying goodnight with a glow behind the mountains...

Another sweet gift in life.  A gigantic Thank You to Mother Nature!

As they say, "red sun at night sailors delight".  Tomorrow will be a delight for
surfers, sailors, kite surfers and perfect for me to work with my roses.

Red Sun At Night...

A few days ago I was driving home from antiquing/thrifting in Santa Barbara...but more
on that later.  It was a glorious, sunny and warm day.  I was late in getting started so I
decided to take the coast road instead of the freeway as to avoid the late afternoon traffic.

Actually, my intention was to watch the changes in the sky as the sun would begin to set. 
I was not in a rush.  I guess the surfers around Malibu were not in a rush either.

As I drove along I could tell the sky was beginning to change and the sun was casting
shadows and a glimmer on the ocean water.

It seemed like every time I looked toward the ocean the sky was beginning to change hue...

Slowly but surely...

Now it was more and more difficult to keep my eyes on the road because my attention
was on the magic light show taking place in the sky. Finally, I just gave up trying to drive.
I quickly parked the car, sat back and enjoyed another magnificent sunset over the
Pacific Ocean.

Is the sun falling from the sky...?

It looks like a big round ball coming to earth...

It's getting lower...

And lower...

Kissing the mountains...

 The sun is starting to say goodnight with a glow behind the

mountains...

Another sweet gift in life.

A gigantic Thank You to Mother Nature!

As they say, "red sun at night sailors delight".

Tomorrow will be a delight for surfers, sailors, kite surfers
and perfect for me to work with my roses.