I love how each walk at the beach can have such different views.
I’m not sure if this is a hawk or not, but it’s gorgeous. I stopped to watch it glide on the breeze.
Ashton Kutcher’s house with a small cottage in front.
Afternoon beach walk.
Keven Costner’s property has the white deck and house on the point, valued at $145 million.
The same bird from the other photo. There’s an interesting complex of homes at the opposite end of the beach.
I loved watching this Vizsla dog and puppy chase a frisbee. I missed the shots where the dog leaped into the air to catch the frisbee with the puppy trailing.
I looked up the prices of homes on this beach. The ones I found start at $20 million up to $100 million.
Did you see the news about a food fight at a baseball game? It was the Phillies “dollar dog night” that got totally out of hand with hot dogs thrown throughout the stadium. When I saw that, I flashed on a memory from when my kids were young.
One of the great things we did for our children was sign them up for Junior Lifeguards in Laguna Beach in the summer. It was quite a project. Laguna residents got to sign up first. It was fierce competition to get a spot. I’d drive down the night before registration opened for non-residents and stay in a hotel. Once I took my daughter with me. We got up at 5 a.m. and sat in front of the parks and rec building in beach chairs and sleeping bags. We were about fourth in line.
The line grew long by 8 a.m. and people walking by said “Woah! What concert are you waiting to buy tickets for?”
My son is in the second row to the bottom, third from right.
At Junior Guards the kids would run on the beach, learn about the different beaches and coves, swim through the blow hole and out in the ocean. They had all sorts of competitive games they’d play on the beach, too. They’d be exhausted when I’d pick them up at the end of the day.
The final day of Junior Guards was a picnic at Heisler Park. We’d all contribute something for the feast. I was shocked to find out the picnic ended in a free-for-all food fight! It was a disaster with the kids in their white Junior Guard t-shirts smeared with mustard, ketchup and potato salad. The park was a disaster!
Needless to say, I was not happy that my kids participated in it. But talk about chagrin! My son informed me my adorable young perfect daughter started it!
My hoodlum daughter is in the second row to the bottom with a big braid over her shoulder. My son is two rows directly above her.
What have your children done that surprised you — good or bad?
We headed south of the border yesterday for a weekend of beach walks, seafood, and enjoying the Sea of Cortez. What a joy to arrive in time for a beach walk at sunset. I was stunned this morning to wake up and see this magnificent sunrise from our room.
Have a great weekend!
What highlights do you have planned for this weekend?
This morning I was struck by several blue or purplish flowers in our yard. They stand out against a background of desert browns and greens of cacti.
“The reason why everyone likes blue is because it is universally associated with positive things (e.g. the sky, the ocean, stability, peace, purity, etc.) and has very few negative associations. Additionally, blue is a color that is present in many cultures all around the world and is linked with positive connotations in most of them.”
Our preferences for certain colors aren’t determined by our DNA, but instead it’s an emotional response from associations with that color. For me, I love the ocean. I love the bright blue sky. I like the blue of city pools where I feel powerful swimming laps — knowing I’m doing something beneficial for my health.
Blue is the most popular color on the planet. My mom loved the color blue, too. So blue brings up feelings about my mom — who I’m going to visit next week in the Seattle area.
This glass blue flower stands in a pot by the front door with a cactus. I never noticed it before!
This was the winner of y best dolphin video quest during our recent beach vacation.
My husband and I named our August 2022 beach vacation, “The summer of dolphins.” Despite the sadness of sea lions infected with toxic Domoic Acid, that I wrote about HERE, the dolphins were thriving.
Every day we saw dolphins. I was mesmerized watching them. I love to watch them cruise, leap and play. One teenager was swimming along with mom and dad. He’d roll over on his back and do a backward flip — showing off.
This video was taken on our second to last night. The water was like glass, the sunset shimmering pink reflected on the sea. You can see the dolphins tails as they dive.
Here are a few photos and videos from our Southern California beach vacation.
This is our favorite beach for walks, swimming, and hanging out. It’s also home to Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher and at one time Ellen DeGeneres.
The beach below our Vrbo. I love watching the dog herding its horse.Social distancing.A mural on the side of a building downtown Carpinteria.Beach wedding. The groom made the archway for his bride.
A year ago today I wrote a blog post “What Makes You Happy.” You can read it HERE. You’ll notice a link to one of our favorite bloggers, LA.
In last year’s post, I included a list of things that made me happy. I thought I’d take a look and see if I can add to it this year. This is what I wrote last year.
This morning I was writing my daily morning pages and I wrote a long list of things that make me happy. I woke up feeling a little down, so my brilliant idea was to focus on what brings me joy and incorporate the things on my list in my daily life — or at least weekly. I had quite a list.
A few of the items were:
A trip to the ocean
A good night’s sleep
Working on a project I’m proud of
Spending time with family and friends
Swimming in the nearby lake
Swimming laps at the city pool
Reading a good book
Catching up with friends via the phone
Hiking
What can I add to the list? Here’s What Makes Me Happy 2.0:
Visits from my kids
Inviting friends over for dinner
Cooking
The Desert Botanical Garden
Musical Instrument Museum
Going to Costco with my husband and stocking up
Watching baby quail
Morning walks
Sunsets and sunrises
Reading blogs from my blogging community
Watching Olive the cat play
What makes you happy?
Do you find time to incorporate these treats into your weekly lives?
