Last Thursday, Ray and I took the Amtrak train into LA from Ventura to work at the church, clearing out and cleaning the kitchen. The caterer, Scott, who had been renting the kitchen, fell on hard times due to a literal fall, a trip to the hospital, and the contraction of a life-threatening infection while…
Tag: travel
Lessons A Texas Girl Learned by Living in Beverly Hills
I lived in Beverly Hills (or BH to the locals) for 30 years. I came to LA with my family when my brother Jim was sick and needed support during the last year and a half of his life. We moved to Beverly Hills because we needed a good school district for our kids. Who…
Then and Now: 50 Memories That Still Shine
Family & Parenting Childhood & Youthful Memories Education & Career Writing & Creativity Music & Singing Faith & Service Adventures & Travel Home, Heritage & Restoration Business & Entrepreneurship Love & Marriage Life’s Challenges & Deep Connections
Nico’s Birthday (Part 2)
Today, we had an art morning here at the orange grove. Our friend Sonny, who is visiting from Massachusetts, brought his art supplies and started drawing at the kitchen table this morning. Soon, Nico joined him, then Gregorio, Lyla, and Luna. They sat for a long while, working on the pictures they were drawing. Occasionally,…
The Final Day before the Tour Begins
Today, many members of our tour group arrived in Catania in preparation for the official start of our trip tomorrow morning at 10. People have flown from all over the US, Canada, and even Wales to join our SCN Sightseeing Tour and Writing Workshop, and it’s been exciting to hear of the safe arrival of…
Prompt: Open the Drawer
Today, I’m going to write from a prompt I found in the Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers by Naomi Epel. This tool kit is comprised of a 160-page book with short chapters filled with writing advice, which also corresponds to a 50-card deck. Chapter titles include Change Your Point of View, Follow the…
An Excellent Meal: Ojai Tortilla House
Our Welsh friends, Jan and Rich, came up to Ojai for a visit. Here they are in front of our Buddha, who is a fairly large fellow. Jan and Rich visiting Buddha in our orange grove Besides meeting and playing with 14-month-old grandson Ethan, visiting with Liz and Ron, and touring the orange grove, Rich…
A Ramble About My Day
I am tired. Today was busy. Lots of visiting, which was all pleasant and with people I am very fond of, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem is that I went from one activity to the next with no downtime in between. We went to breakfast with one of our antique dealer friends to…
The Day a Door Flew Open for Me Regarding My Appreciation of Art
Several years ago, a door opened in my life on a trip to France with my husband Ray when we visited the Pompidou Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Paris. When Ray and I first got together, I understood quickly that he had both a great love for and much knowledge about art. I,…
Flash Poetry Prompt: Venturing Into The Unknown – 1973
First, having scoured all the travel books, And sold my car, And gotten my passport and plane ticket I don my Backpack of purple canvas My silly “Earth” shoes My ‘70’s maroon jeans and top. I am on my way Not like Jack Kerouac with his drunken friends Cruising down Route 66 But on this…
20 Minutes a Day 