“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice.” ~T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding I’m not exactly certain how it all began, but one New Year’s Day in the early 2000s, our family decided to head out on a walk along the La Jolla coast. As we welcomed a … Read More
“We love the things we love for what they are.” ~Robert Frost, Hyla Brook I first fell in love with Carmel-by-the-Sea after being swept off my feet by the movie Play Misty for Me, Clint Eastwood’s suspenseful thriller set in the idyllic town on the California coast. It was 1971, and my teenage self was … Read More
“An ecological treasure at the heart of Monterey Bay.” ~Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve It’s Saturday morning in Monterey, California, and the sun won’t be rising for almost an hour. The air is brisk and biting, causing me to question my decision not to have packed a wool hat along with my warm gloves, … Read More
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Fall comes late in California. The warm gentle air of summer still lingers, wrapping itself around your shoulders like a favorite woolen sweater. The earth is a dusty powder; the sky, the color of sapphire. But for … Read More
“Afoot and lighthearted, I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.” ~Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road The original plan was to fly. In the perfect world scenario that had played in my mind, our bags would be packed, and … Read More
“The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.” ~Louis Kahn, Salk Institute Architect They sit like two mirrored rows of accordion doors, unfolding as they march at perfect angles toward the Pacific. From a distance, bits of glass and wood peek out from partly-concealed recesses, adding warmth … Read More
The pirate tower makes its appearance at low tide. Hidden around a rocky corner at Laguna’s Victoria Beach, the sepia-toned stone structure stands tall and narrow against the surrounding cliff, as if pretending to be a natural part of the landscape. It’s a moody sort of place, a bit foreboding, forlorn and solitary, clinging to … Read More
“Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” ~John Muir There are places in this world that hold special meaning to us. Places where moments are forever etched in our memories, written in indelible ink and frozen … Read More
Although it’s only about a twenty-minute drive from The Getty Center, The Getty Villa feels like a world away. Nestled in the hills of LA’s Pacific Palisades, the Villa is more of a home than a museum, designed to resemble a grand Italian residence – the Villa dei Papiri – that was destroyed by the … Read More
“And the wind went sighing over the land, Tossing the grasses to and fro, And a rainbow held out its shining hand – So what could I do but laugh and go?” ~Richard Le Gallienne, I Meant To Do My Work Today Winter has been lingering longer than usual in Southern California, transforming rain-drenched hills … Read More