February 29, 2020: A Bonus Day, Indeed

It’s a Leap Year this year.   Today is my “bonus day” down here.   Instead of packing up and driving away, I am relishing my Peet’s latte by the pool, having just finished the books and enjoying the most incredible fragrance that has filled the air here in the last couple of days.   Some kind of flower is clearly in bloom now and it’s intoxicating.    I am seeing Himanshu at 11 am and meeting Susie and Cheryl in Solana Beach tonight for supper and the Steve Poltz 11th Annual 50th Birthday Party concert at Belly Up.  

While at the concert, Steve Wozniak’s wife offered to watch my drink at the bar while I delivered Susie and Cheryl’s drinks to them.   Then they sat 4 rows behind us.   Wow!!

I spent the afternoon cleaning the car to get it ready for the big road trip and sealing this adventure with the ever-present/ever-cool “OB” car rear window sticker to commemorate this awesome adventure!! What a great penultimate day!!!!

This month has been terrific.   I continued with my regular yoga and walking and coffee and puzzles and reading routine.  I loved the fused glass classes, both up in Fallbrook again and at Patty Gray’s studio.  I had several acupuncture treatments and cupping to help my SI joint.    I took a Breath and Sound Healing class with John again.  I got a B-12 shot, went for a shave and a haircut, had the hood of my car repainted to remove rust and chips and saw “Fly” at La Jolla Playhouse.   I spent a week at the ocean condo (wifi free 🥴😳) and spent a day on Coronado.  I enjoyed seeing Jean and Grant while they were here on holidays.   We went for supper at C-Level on evening, hiked and picnicked up at Torrey Pines one morning and then celebrated by 55th birthday with a barbecue here with Pete and Solveig.   

So am I “ready” to go home tomorrow?   Oh hell, no.   But am I “resolved” to go home tomorrow.   Yes.   That’s the best I can phrase it to myself.   I am full of such gratitude and thanks for the best winter I can remember having in a long, long time.    I am totally becoming a “snowbird”.   Winter may now become my favorite season!   Who saw that coming?  Not me, that’s for sure!  😂😜😉

My New Hobby

Fusing.  Slumping.  Murini.  Vitrograph.  Kiln wash.  Frit.  Rounds.  Combing. Raking.  Dichro.  

These terms were foreign to me until about a month ago.   Now, thanks to Fallbrook Art School, Suzanne Balestri, Patty Gray and Susan Hirsch, I am familiar, dare I say comfortable, with them.

Add them to scoring, cutting, copper-foil and soldering and a whole new world of artistic creativity has opened up to me thanks to trying some lessons in both the stained and fused glass world.  

And, I am hooked!   I loved the three classes I took in Fallbrook on Combing  and Raking Glass (4 pieces),  Coral Bowls/Open Woven Glass (2 pieces)and Pattern Bars and Reactive Glass Possibilities (3 pieces and a reactive bar) as well as the private lesson with Suzanne Balestri at her awesome home studio in Cardiff-By-The-Sea to make a Kaleidoscope Plate that I love!!   The stained glass class in Spanish Village was ok, but much less enjoyable as the instructor was a bit grouchy!  But still, as I always say, “even when it’s bad, it’s good here!”

The most fortunate thing was being able to have a 3-day session with Patty Gray at her incredible studio in San Marcos.   I stumbled upon the world renowned artist and her expertise experience and generosity was incredible.   I made 8 pieces!  She put together the class of 6 people just to accommodate me while I was here.  Ever grateful to her.  Met some very interesting people there as well...a man whose daughter-in-law was killed in the Vegas mass shooting who was making sunflowers for her memorial in Vegas, a retired teacher and her husband, a vet and another artist from Fallbrook with her own studio there that I will surely be checking out upon my next visit here.   Fun, full days of learning and creating.  So enjoyable.  Today I picked up all my finished pieces.   Quite a sight, indeed!

They spoke of a huge Glass Art Trade Show/lesson weekend in Vegas every year the first week in April.   Who knows?   Maybe I’ll add it to by “Bucket List” to attend (along with London and South By Southwest-the list continues to grow).

I’m very pleased with all my results.   Now, what to do with it all??!!  😂

Now THAT was a birthday!

What a great day.   It was 23 degrees and clear and sunny.   Morning latte at Peet’s was free cause it was my birthday, so that made the almond croissant and puzzle time by the pool all the better!  😂. Got new wooly socks and a homemade toque from Pete and Solveig!

Then I went for my birthday massage, and Himanshu took me to Mikes for 4 fish tacos and a beer instead!   What a surprise!

Got my 19,092 steps in between a walk along the cliffs and the OB market at night, a beautiful sunset and endless reminders of what a lucky S.O.B. I am.   More celebrating tomorrow night with a barbecue with the Curries and Pete and Solveig.   Lucky, lucky me.

I truly have no idea how I am going to drive AWAY from all of this come Sunday.  

I Can’t Even.....

There are times, when I am here, that I get totally and completely overwhelmed with the beauty of this place and how frigging lucky I am to be here.

Today is one of those days!

For example, right now I am sitting on the deck of the ocean condo at just after 9 am, looking out at the beautiful blue hues of the Pacific, watching the surfers ride the waves.   I just watched and listened to the OB parrots squawk and frolic overhead as I walked down to Azucar for the most delicious Cuban coffee and cheese and guava pastry (my Keto diet has seen better days!).  The sun is shining and warm, the sky is clear and blue, the walk there and back was so relaxing.   I am heading to yoga in 20 minutes.   I just finished an amazing 3-day glass making class with Patty Gray up in San Marco.  I am in the midst of my week long stay here at the condo, which I find to be a whole different but equally enjoyable experience from the pool house.  

I never get tired of the view, the pace, the vibe, the “feel” of it here.   It’s so hard to put into words.   “Content” and “complete” are as close as I can come.   At yoga, Nikki talked about the word I think that sums it up well....”gratitude”.

I mean....come on!!!  😲😀

Today Was Perfect

Remember when I said I couldn’t be happier or more content?
Case in point: