Driving Big Sur, California

Our walk this morning along the coastal trail was invigorating, flowers glorious, what a magnificent place to be.

Wild flowers of the coastal meadows of the Big Sur

We saw a whale out to sea, pelicans doing flybys, vast numbers of seabirds, picked out Pigeon Guillemots, Pelagic Cormorants, California Sea Otters, Elephant Seals molting and flipping sands over their bodies to keep cool, a hare, Song Sparrows calling in the meadows….remarkable place to walk.

Some views of the Big Sur, hard to capture the scale and majesty of these vistas.

Fred taking a break from all the driving, almost 400 miles to date!

Remarkable Hearst Castle

William Randal Hearst writing to his mother Phoebe in 1917:

I love the sea and I love the mountains and the hollows in the hills and the shady places in the creeks and the fine old oaks and even the hot brushy hillsides - full of quail - and the canyons full of deer. Its a wonderful place. I would rather spend a month here than any other place in the world.

I agree with his sentiment, the setting of Hearst Castle is breath taking.

A fascinating slice of Americana history.

A day that ticks all the boxes

Small circle days evolved traveling in a campervan in New Zealand a few years ago. They were days spent quietly in a beautiful place, savoring, noticing, walking, learning and keeping the mileage down.

So my first California small circle day started in a town self-styled the happiest place in the US, San Luis Obispo.

Its a picturesque town near the Pacific coast, north of LA. Rolling volcanic hills, fertile soils, fabulous fresh produce and loads of history and art. Quirky interesting shops, loved this particular little store….












Any small circle day has to start with finding the right foodie place and my research led us to Big Sky Cafe for breakfast. Many mugs of good coffee while I savored the homemade ginger coffee cake and delish 'killer corncakes'. I loved the way my poached eggs were served in a ramekin with fresh food on the side, neat idea, a keeper.




A good small circle day involves discovery.  The serene Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in downtown SLO, was the fifth California mission founded by Father Junipeo Serra in 1772. A quiet sit in the church listening to music, a garden in flower, bells steeped in history, a well structured museum.

 

The day continued to tick all my boxes, superb olive oil tasting at Pasolivo and buying my first punchy intense California evo oil. Could not resist pesto, olive jam, and jalapeño mustard. Yum.

The Vineyard Road near Paso Robles was as beautiful as our winelands in the Cape. An avenue lined with huge oaks with Spanish Moss dripping from the branches. 

Outstanding wine tasting at the organic vinery - Tablas, grape varietals were completely new to me like tannat and moudvedre. Day seemed to get even more languid after all the wine.

My first lifer for the US trip, Yellow-billed Magpie, a bird of the west coast here in California, handsome and gregarious! Also saw the Acorn Woodpecker - picking acorns.

Finally a walk. 

We braved the wind and took in the spectacular rock formation at the harbor in Morro Bay. 

To make sure the day suited Fred as well, finished with a wholesome burger.

I feel that I am finding place…. over 300 miles to date, only 2.5 miles walking...

The USA road trip starts, quietly from Los Angeles up Hwy 1

Shock to the system; the transition from the warmth, humidity, sun, colors of the intimate cays of the Abaco's where we used a golf cart to potter around, to landing in LA, a vast sprawling urban jungle, with dry brown tones and chaotic highways.

Holed up in my hotel room getting the courage to head out on hwy 1to Malibu, Santa Monica and Santa Barbara. It is a sunday and sky is blue and the drive should be a good way to get started….

These are a few of my favorite things from the joyous wedding week...

Mother and son 

My choice of flowers

Sunsets

The colors of the Bahamas

My sister Inel

A walk on an isolated Bahama beach 

Fred snorkeling and bringing up the ubiquitous conch of the Bahamas

Our hands and toes of friendship

South Africans sailing in the Abaco Sound

A Magnificent Frigatebird

Joy of Friendship

The bride who took our breath away

The perfect wedding dress

The beauty of the sea and our catamaran

Pleasure of symmetry 

Setting of the wedding table

and the Hope Town Lighthouse……

Hope Town Elbow Cay, Abaco's, Bahamas
what an amazing venue for the wedding…..

Here are photo collages of the special event:

Collen and Sarah from the UK...

Fred, mostly behind the camera, this time centre stage and such a proud father…

The 'aunt of the bride' all the way from Cowra, Australia….

Krone clan, gorgeous Jess a bridesmaid….

My joy as the 'mother of the bride'...

Geoff and Nikki…..

Vincent and Natalie...

Rosella and Neville…

A fun moment with the chef at Hope Town Harbour Lodge…

Vanessa and Neil...

Gathering my bones...

“She creeps and crawls and sifts through the…mountains…and…dry riverbeds, looking for wolf bones, and when she has assembled an entire skeleton, when the last bone is in place and the beautiful white sculpture of the creature is laid out before her, she sits by the fire and thinks about what song she will sing…

 

she stands over the criatura, raises her arms over it, and sings out…sings some more…sings more and the wolf creature begins to breathe…and as she sings, the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up, and runs away…suddenly transformed into a laughing woman who runs free toward the horizon…”

 

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

My Shawni is now married!

A long time ago Natalie gifted me her Estes book and I was enthralled. 

This past week here in Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Bahamas has been the much anticipated wedding.

It has been remarkable. 

I thank my daughter and new son-in-law.

The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality, and the Bahamas has made me welcome as we welcomed friends and family who made the long journey to get to the wedding from 7 countries, planes, ferries….I thank each and everyone, I also thank my friends and family who were here in thought  and love.

I now feel the action of creeping; as my body aches and sifting; my soul aches, tears sit close behind my eyes, I crave quiet.

I am looking for my bones, reassembling my skeleton and looking for the transformation Estes promises me…..