Sometimes the best things are just stumbled upon. The B&B looked quite lovely from the website, but as we drove up through the majestic oaks, I knew something special awaited. In fact, the whole Santa Ynez Valley was intoxicating with its vibrant fall colors and aromas of sage and dry grasses drifting in the breeze.
This truly is a special place... and I can't wait to go back.
I can still taste the salt on my lips, feel the wind on my face, the warmth of the setting sun, the sand in my toes...
Here are some images from the latest excursion to the desert. Destination: the Salton Sea. Once a bustling recreational area in the 20's, it now exists mainly as an avian sanctuary, housing over 400 species of birds. The salinity is too high for most fish species, and many of the beaches are littered with literally millions of fish bones. Not so pretty.
Second stop: El Mirage. A popular dry lake bed for shooting editorials and music videos. We just happened to stumble upon a magnificent sunset. There is such a vastness in these areas... you can't help but feel the expansion inside you as well.
Some instagrams from our last baja adventure...
It's that time of year again. Our annual family adventure. Some of us fly, some of us drive. We may stay for 2 weeks or we may stay a month. It can all vary, but one thing that doesn't is our commitment to spending time together... to slowing down our minds from the fast-paced lives we leave behind... to just being present with nature and each other. And of course the surf is amazing as well :)
There is no greater gift than being here with family and friends. Surfing and laughing, catching up on the life we've lived since the last time we were together. I treasure the time together and I treasure the solitude and peace. There is so much space, and whether you are aware of it or not, a shift happens. You stop reaching for your cell phone, you don't even think about facebook or the tv shows you are missing. Spending an hour watching the birds race along the beach feels like 5 minutes. Life is simple again- eat, surf, read, beach walk, surf, eat, sleep. And lots of laughter in between. Within a week, our bodies are bronzed from the relentless sun and strong from all the surfing. Eating only fresh food and spending hours in the ocean initiates a natural detox. Sleep is deep here, under a sky with more stars than one sees in a lifetime.
Although I find this experience incredible, it's not for everyone. However, I encourage you to take the time to find your own 'pilgrimage' to still your mind and clean your body. Be present with yourself and those around you. Connect and be in alignment with your truth. Give yourself this gift...
When this post goes live, I will have been there a few days. I can pretty much guarantee there is a smile on my face :)
Here is a blackberry video from our previous years...
The German equivalent, Fernweh, literally means "an ache for distance". Wikipedia's definition is 'a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.'
I've got both.
It can be seen as both a blessing a curse. At times I yearn for stability and put some roots down, and others I have no problem leaving the garden I spent so much time tending. I know it stems back to the years of childhood travel, I know it is an integral part of who I am today.
And right now I got it bad. After a year of restricted travel due to an accident, I am ready to take flight. It has been a year of challenges and rewards and so much growth. To accommodate all this, I need expansion... I need to get out of this box I have been living in to process these experiences and formulate a revised plan for my future. I have changed, so my goals must change accordingly as well. 5 months of physiotherapy has realigned my body, now I need to realign my mind...
A couple weeks ago I took a short trip to Death Valley. A perfect place for expansion. At first glance the valley appeared quite barren. Oh how it proved me wrong. From sand dunes to salt flats, from dry lake beds to water-fluted canyons. It was spectacular. Here are a few from the trip.
I haven't owned a point and shoot camera for at least 10 years. I bought an expensive underwater version a few years ago with visions of taking it surfing with my family... but it was the quality of images above water that I couldn't handle. So I returned it. 2 days later. But I don't always want to haul my professional camera around. Try getting a candid shot at a dinner party with a huge lens in someone's face. It's not going to happen. It's those random moments... like a wall mural that inspires you, or the way your puppy has fallen asleep.
Enter the iphone and all its wonderful apps. Right now I am loving instagram. I can take great photos... spontaneous, fun, IMPERFECT photos... and create a life diary of images that better represent how I live, versus what I do for a living. My professional camera has its place, and I cherish it like no other, but sometimes I just want to have the freedom to take random, carefree shots... and this allows me to do that.
Thank you instagram.
Here is a few from my recent trip to Death Valley...
