This is one of my favorite times of the year. However, that is not the case for everyone. The holiday season can be fraught with expectations unfulfilled, family drama, and often a bit of mayhem. The new year can be a time of great anticipation for new experiences or it can be a time of uncomfortable uncertainty. This year, I felt the need among the hustle and bustle to just stop and take a deep breath. I can think of…
I just arrived home from a few days with a dear friend in Big Sur. Frankly, I wasn’t sure we were even going to be able to go as a huge fire was roaring through parts of the region. The fire started on July 22 by an illegal campfire in one of the state parks. As of this writing, it has consumed over 79,000 acres and is 60% contained. It will be weeks before it is completely under control. It…
What a crazy, fun filled few days I had with my daughter in Big Sur. We were celebrating her birthday but needed no excuse to explore this amazing part of our country. Most often we stay two nights at my brother-in-laws ranch, and with such limited time we tend to stay close by. With 385 acres to wander, we are never bored. But with the gift of four nights, we expanded our horizons to some new places, and of course a few of…
When your daughter is turning 25 (how the heck did that happen?!) and asks if you want to celebrate her birthday in the most breathtaking place on the planet for a few days, you start packing! Goodbye Santa Barbara and hello Big Sur! We are on the road and with limited wi-fi, so I will leave you with this photo. And no judgements if some or all of these are consumed during our visit…compliments of our last Big Sur Bakery…
Big Sur has been the subject of many books and movies, as well as countless poems expounding on its beauty. To me it’s a place like no other. It’s a deeply personal and spiritual experience. It is nature at its most glorious and no matter how many times I go back, it takes my breath away as if seeing it for the first time. Big Sur is impossible to describe. The most incredible photograph can’t capture how small I feel…
I’m going to be honest here. Before moving to Santa Barbara six years ago, I had never hiked a day in my life. Oh, I had taken long walks in my neighborhood or along the beach, but never an actual HIKE. In my mind, hiking was something healthy, young, outdoorsy people did… the kind of people who like to go camping or backpacking. It was not for a 40-something year old whose idea of camping requires a bed and a bathroom…and…