I spent the last few days of April in sunny California, my first vacation in a really long time. I wanted to go someplace different, and I had a friend who had invited me out, so off I flew to sunnier climes.



We flew past the Grand Canyon on the way there, and it was truly awe inspiring, even from six miles up. Photos just don't do it justice.

I got to see the sights in and around Hollywood, which was a lot of fun. We went to see the new Avengers movie at the famous Chinese Theatre in downtown Hollywood. It was fun to see it there; the audience was very enthusiastic. Quite different from New England!



We went to see the La Brea tar pits, which were underwhelming. Also, the moving sculpture of the trapped mastodon was a bit disturbing.



We opted not to go into the museum there, instead heading up the famous Mulholland Drive through the hills. The view was quite spectacular up there.



We drove back down through Beverly Hills (swimming pools, movie stars) where we stopped to see the famous Witch House. It's wicked cool (see what I did there?), but someone actually lives there and it must be so annoying to have people stopping and taking pictures all day. One of the tours even stopped while we were there.



On Sunday morning, I met queenoftheskies for breakfast at Mel's Diner. It was so cool to finally meet; we've been friends on LJ for well over ten years. Probably more like 15. We sat there and talked for about three hours! It was delightful to catch up in person. I have yet to be disappointed when meeting one of my LJ friends in real life. Y'all are a fabulous bunch of people.

After leaving there, I went to the Hollywood Forever cemetery, where lots of famous people are buried. I found Johnny Ramone, which was my main objective. I also found Rudolph Valentino, Mickey Rooney, Anton Yelchin, and Toto. Yes, the dog from Wizard of Oz.



On Monday, I went down to the Santa Monica pier to see the Pacific Ocean. The view from there is pretty spectacular, and I dipped my toes in the ocean.



From there, I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway for a bit to meet my friend Scarlet in Topanga Canyon. I wish I could have gotten pictures of the drive up the canyon! I just kept saying "Wow!" after every curve in the road revealed another stunning vista. I can see why she loves it up there. It was great to catch up with an old friend, and to see more of the mountains. The topography there is totally unlike any other place I've been. The mountains go right to the sea! So different from our mountains here in the east.

Monday evening we tried to go up to the Griffith Observatory, but it was closed. Oh, well! I would like to have seen the view from up there, and it's so iconic. If you've seen Rebel Without a Cause or LaLa Land, that's the place.

We did find the famous Sowden House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son and was featured in the recent TNT show, I Am the Night.



I would love to see the inside! There are so many amazing houses there.

So, that's the Cliff's Notes version of my trip. You can find the rest of my photos here, and the pix I took from the plane here.

I have never been to a place where the wealth disparity is so stark. Not even New York. Huge mansions, expensive cars, pricey boutiques everywhere, and so are the homeless who can't afford to live anywhere. It's really in your face there. It's a place full of contradictions. I really enjoyed visiting, and I would totally go again, but I could never live there.

I almost made it out of L.A. without seeing any celebrities, but in the TSA line at the airport, the kid who plays Aladdin in the new movie was in front of me. Someone came up with blowup prints of a magazine with the cast on the cover, and had him sign them. I could tell he was totally trying to be anonymous, wearing a track suit and baseball cap. I hope the rest of his trip was uneventful.

I'm really glad I took Wednesday off to recover. I slept late, and even took a nap. Not an exciting way to celebrate Beltane, but I really needed it. It was a fabulous trip, and I'm so glad I went!

I went out in search of spring over the weekend, and found a tiny pocket of it at the Arnold Arboretum.



I found witch hazel, pussy willows, and snowdrops.





The willow trees are turning that yellow-green color that signals impending springtime. The maples have red buds on the ends of their branches. The vultures are back, and the hawks are out in force.

We could still get snow, and we almost always do at least once after the equinox, but spring is definitely on the way.

We've reached that part of winter when I am officially sick & tired of it, but spring is far too long in the future so the light at the end of the tunnel seems like a pinprick. Add to that the forecast for at least a foot of snow this weekend, and I'm pretty much done. I'm really hoping they're wrong, and we get much less. I'm getting too old to shovel all that by myself.

I haven't been out taking many pictures, either. It's been too cold, and I just haven't felt like it. Which makes me feel guilty, because I should be making art. It makes me feel better.



I got to kitty-sit my favorite felines when my friends went on a trip to Peru last month. I got a few good shots of them, like this one of Izzie enjoying the sunshine. He's such a photogenic cat.



This one of our local greasy spoon caught my eye when I went to the library last week. I would like to have gotten a wider shot, but that would've involved standing in the middle of the rotary at rush hour, so I had to settle for this. I love that neon.



I did make it over to Danforth Falls on New Year's Day, which was a pretty mild one. All the rain we've had in the past few weeks made for lovely rushing water cascading over the falls. Love those negative ions! It felt good to just stand there and listen to the water. I dragged a friend along with me, and she was glad I got her out of the house. It was a nice way to start off the year.



So I'm hanging in there, trying not to give in to all the negativity around me. Some days are hard, but on the whole I'm doing OK.

How are you holding up?

I went with my friends J&R to a crafts show yesterday, to a Historic New England home in Lincoln, the Codman Estate. There were lots of pretties to look at, and we got to tour the first floor of the house and the gardens.



I love these old New England estates, with big old houses full of beautiful paintings and furnishings, and lovely grounds.

Since we were going to be in Lincoln anyway, it occurred to me that a side trip to see something I had seen on Atlas Obscura would be fun. It's called Ponyhenge, and it's just the sort of weird that I love.

It's a collection (nobody knows who started it, or who contributes to it) of rocking horses, hobby horses, and other assorted horse toys arranged in a field like a henge.



( Read more... )

It's right by the road, not far off the main route through Lincoln. The whole thing just makes me so happy; it's fun, whimsical, and weird. Kind of like me. :)

I spent last week at Sirius Rising, also known as Pagan Hippie Camp. I had to miss it last year, so it was extra good to be there. I really missed the place and the people I only get to see there.



The weather was mostly good: not much rain, not too hot, only one night that got chilly. Anytime I can spend a week outdoors and not get sunburn or heatstroke is a good one.



I managed to make it to one workshop, on cultural appropriation. It was run by three friends of mine, so I couldn't miss it. It was very informative and interesting, and gave me a starting point for conversations and a vocabulary to draw from. It's a hot topic in many spheres these days, so it's good to be able to have an informed debate about it.



I didn't get to see or spend time with a few folks I had hoped to, but I did get quality time with a few friends I don't get to see often. There are so many people, and so many things going on, it's a delicate balance.



I tried to get pictures of different things this year, and only partially succeeded. I wanted to work on portraits, and a few folks gamely posed for me. I love my friends: they indulge me when I ask. I get to do the same with my family this weekend, at the family reunion.



I still haven't dealt with all of the laundry and unpacking, and I won't get a chance to finish until after this weekend. It's so much work, but it's worth it. My spirit is refreshed from spending a week with like-minded folk. I even got some writing in, and was inspired to write a poem. I might post that later on.



My body is still recovering from all the walking on uneven ground and sleeping on a cot in a tent, and then driving for 9 hours straight. I really wish I could afford a small camper; that would make things so much simpler (and more comfortable). Someday, I hope.



It's hard to believe it's already in the past. I'm trying to hold on to the feelings and experiences as long as I can to get me through the long, mundane days in between.

See all my photos here.

After the winter that would not end, spring has finally come to New England. Right now is my absolute favorite time of year: lilacs, apple blossoms, tulips, dogwood, redbud. Pink tree season is the best.





Things are going well at work. I was hired on as permanent (yay!), so now I have benefits. To celebrate my first real paycheck, I got a "new" phone (it's a "pre-loved" iPhone), which I love love love. My old phone was, well, old. The new one is rose gold and very pretty. And it has a lot more room on it for more apps and pictures. It makes me happy.

My next big thing I need to replace is my mattress. The old one is quite ancient, and probably a big reason I haven't been sleeping very well for a while. I found a great price on a nice one at my local appliance store, so that's coming next week.

Then I need to start saving for a car. The Santa Fe is almost 15 (I've had her for 5 years), and really needs replacing. I'd like for that to happen before anything else goes wrong with her. I'm leaning towards a Kia Soul; a couple of my friends have them, and say nothing but good things about them. Plus, they're cute.

Now that spring is here, I'm making an effort to get out more and take more pictures. It feels good to stretch those muscles again.

I'll leave you today with the Great Horned Owl I spotted at Mount Auburn on Beltane. I was very pleased to get pictures of him!

Texas beat us to the first snow this year; they had some the other day. Georgia had it yesterday. Today, it was our turn.



I went out this morning, before it had accumulated too much, to take in the magic of First Snow.



It was peaceful and quiet down by the river. I was the first to leave footprints in the blanket of white. Well, the first human, anyway.



I followed a path of crow prints, finding a spot where it stopped to turn over a leaf, then moved along.



It was sitting in the tree above me as I took pictures of its footprints. I'm sure it was amused.



The new job is going quite well. I had a stellar week: I booked 8 web demos, which is what my job is. They want us to do 3-4 per week, so 8 is pretty darned good. I was the queen. I hope I can keep it up! My coworkers have all been very supportive, which is nice. Often, in sales, I see envy and resentment when one person shines. That's not the case here at all. Everyone cheers each other on. It's a nice crew. And it's nice to start off strong at a new place. Let them know they made the right choice in hiring me. :)

Wow, it's been a month since I've posted. Sorry about that! Life has been quite stressful, for a variety of reasons. I've been trying to get out every day, and mostly succeeding. I've been trying to take more photos, also mostly succeeding. I even got out of the state yesterday, thanks to sea_dark_wine; we went to Barrett House in NH, which is a historic home built in 1800. That was fun, and photogenic to boot.

( Barrett House )

The weather has been cooler, and I've been watching Autumn slowly begin to touch the trees with color. I've seen lots of birds & critters out & about.

( Wildlife )

I keep leaving this and coming back to it hoping to add more interesting content, but at this point I'd better just hit "post" or it's never going to happen. I do post most days on Twitter and/or Instagram, so you're much more likely to see me there than here.

Today is the longest day, the Summer Solstice. I went down to the river early this morning, before it started getting hot, to celebrate the return of summer.


( into the woods )

Blessed Midsummer!

As usual, we've gone straight from cold to hot. Last week I was wearing hoodies, this week I'm digging for summer clothing and installing my a/c unit. It's supposed to hit 90° today. I got an air quality alert on my phone, even. Oy. At least it's supposed to cool down again by next week.

I went to the Arnold Arboretum the other day to enjoy the lilacs at their peak. A lot of other people had the same idea! They actually cancelled Lilac Sunday this year because the weather was rainy & windy; it didn't end up as stormy as forecast, but it still wouldn't have been a fun day for festivities.



The lilacs were, as always, spectacular. I also took in the shrub & vine garden, and the bonsai collection. ( Bonsai! )

Even the birds love the lilacs.



I'm glad I made it there before it got too hot out.