Dreamy Days

Set out with my new Zumi in hand to explore a familiar place

a favorite haunt-a short walk through the glorious Marin headlands

every visit is unique — always changing moods

mother nature embraces her rolling hills with a hug and release

moving clouds and wind shape the face of the terrain

birds soar catching the thermals as they roll through...

the grand dame the show the pot of gold ...

the glorious Pacific Ocean is your final reward at the end of the path

today was a tumultuous day

the surf has been bringing forth some amazing sets

the beach is telling of the tumult by the mound of sand where before stood a flat beach.

waves break huge in the distance as far as you can see in the horizon

it is hard to stay planted on the sand the wind is so strong

the sounds and smells immediately evoke calm and terror almost in the same breadth

feels like a dream to be here

one that you don't want to wake from yet know you must because there is life to live and so you move on....

this camera gave me the perfect memories of the day capturing the surreal mood

feelings I needed to express

so much can happen in a few days to take your breath away, loose your momentum, you're footing... sometimes you need a little dreamy escape

Morning Unfolds at the Ranch

The place I go when I need to be quite and replenish — home. The animals always help me find perspective - keep it simple, lots of happy, slobbery smiles from the dogs, the smells and sounds of the horses-their little nickers, snorts, always calm when I am around them-we sniff a familiar hello, catch up, check each other out for happy/sad...somehow they always know. It's easy to get caught up in all that is wrong with the world, it only takes a quick step off the path to drink in the sounds and smells of mother nature to know that there is plenty right

Photos by Blossom

Blue Moon

Photo by Michael Gough

it's been a long journey back here — sometimes it's just too much. one needs time to step back and replenish, gather up, restore... a start, a poem. for the times at hand — my own words lost in the numbness — sent to a child who has lost some footing...

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.

~ Mary Oliver ~

November: Family, Friends, Good Food

This is the season for pure celebration of things that matter to me the most. The anniversary of 22 years of marriage and the three beautiful children we share was my focal point at the beginning of this month. The storms, the colors, the complexities and hard work that illuminate the path to get here. I have been fortunate to make choices that have lead me to this place I call home. Northern California, my husband, my children the family of friends who have graced our lives over the years are the gifts I could never have imagined. I look at, think about, see and feel things I would never have found alone, without the eyes of those who surround me, the passions that drive them, the heart aches that move and motivate them — and sometimes numb them.

This Thanksgiving will not be spent at home — as I had always imagined — surround by my family and good friends. The first child away at school, the second off on a travel adventure. The shifts are upon us in ways I had not expected. Letting go of the sadness is not easy. We may be separated by miles but we will share the treasures of the season with new friends and families and our lives will be enriched by those gracing the tables we will be gathering. And when next we meet at our own table we will have more gifts to bring to the fold.

The Sweet the Savory - Cheers !

Photos by Blossom