new fellowship

bocce, dinner, good times. 

a fully enjoyable evening was spent with boyfriend's parents & brother. they are awesome, fun, and generous. missy lou goes to hawa** with them in just a few short weeks. so lucky! 

great night. great family.

thin blue line

and on a subsequent friday, we said goodbye to another great american, sgt. sc***. 
the service lasted 3 hours - the longest single service i've ever attended. his daughters were steadfast and brave, speaking to thousands of listeners with strength and poise. co-workers, our representative sw*lw*ll, parishioners, singers, his chief, video. this man of god was well represented and revered.

the news covered it well, from the procession to the arena, to his hometown. the motorcade lasted 4 minutes in passing. the number of people standing at the side of the roads and on freeway overpasses, holding signs, waving flags, moves me. 

the highlight truly, was our last two minutes on property, when a sp*cial olymp*cs athlete spotted husband in the crowd and made a bee-line to him, crying, and hugging him while he crouched to reach her diminutive size. 

there is still beauty, truth and peace in the world. i know this to be true.

del

we said goodbye to a great american on friday. he was honored at the national cemetery, which is not considered merely a cemetery there, but a shrine to those who have given all through service and dedication to cause. sarah proved to be a warrior for her dad, a fierce advocate who, as her dad taught her, to fight the good fight and never give up the faith. he would have been pleased with it all. we will remember del's fire and also his hugs. he will be missed.

17

...and...they're off for a day of rafting / tubing at a local lake. i love 17 year olds. :)

yoyo

he struggles with his back legs. it is an unknown how much longer we have with him. but his mind is still sharp as a tack. he is a tremendous amount of work. he does not willingly leave my side. 
and i am smitten.

packaged

pretty package. uncomplicated. lovely. thoughtful. and good. 
like the person to whom it was intended. 

coastal treasure

friend D is an amazingly gracious soul, who loves to find reason to celebrate. for my college graduation, she suggested we go away, under the condition that i choose the location. so after some thought, i chose the pelican *nn, just up the road from muir beach.

in about an hour's time we stepped back 400 years.

truly, i geeked out on the authentic 16th century british styling. rough hewn exposed beams. worn wooden plank floors. plaster. forged iron. candles. mortise and tenon, trestle tables, tester beds, fabric, leaded and mullion screenless windows, stone tiles, 

brick floors, imported rugs, latch doors, private staircases, no plumb walls. 

i loved it, and i feel so lucky to have been so gifted.

private entrance away from the public house:

simple accommodations

diminutive doorways for the elizabethan patron :)

private space for overnight guests only. the "snuggery".

pub

(not pictured: small carved bar back from 1670)

dining room bench seats - the design that inspired my own kitchen pew bench. all of the wood, iron, furniture, horse tack, etc., was brought back from lakers.

ship's lantern. maybe captain hook's. :)

 the dining room is built around the hearth, a small room in itself. there is a trap door in there as well - a "priest hole". 

(it's supposed to be the reformation period, after all.)

framed pottery on wall to left of hearth is 400-500 years old, a relic from a british church marking a pilgrimage.

 nooks and crannies

jaunt down highway 1, and the outlook at muir beach

thank you friend D for this wonderful pano

we traded cameras with a danish family at the end of the outlook.

 the view is actually a stunning and dizzying 

180 degrees of pacific ocean.

stinson beach, just up the road. i neglected to take pictures 

while in the sand.

yay for close coastal get-aways, beautiful locations, 

and enduring friendships. you are a treasure, friend D! 

polar opposites

polar oppposites. one rarely starts. one rarely stops.

friend b visit

time stands still and moves too fast. friend b is the best listener i have ever known. with her i know clarity. it is right there. today was my turn to treat. it is never good-bye. it is: until next time.

 

new

smaller. lighter. no loss in quality. mirrorless. fast prime lens @ f/1.2 (love!). retro. looks like my first analog slr. what will we make together? yay. :)