January Blues?

 

 

The days have been beautiful, sunny yet crisp during the early January days I was visiting Northern California.

 

 

Its beautiful to think that even on the west coast in Northern California, they can have such wonderful and moderate winters so you can actually enjoy being outdoors. Today there were clear blue skies, rolling hills and miles and miles of vineyards.  (Or is it just the days that I was lucky enough to have perfect timing to visit?)

 

 

 

Spending the day up at Sonoma County up at the Russian River Valley at Martinelli Winery for a simple gathering  and potluck is a wonderful way to spend the day and visit with old and new friends.

I really enjoy the day visiting, eating some delicious foods and drinking some amazing Sonoma Valley wines and just admiring the amazing views on this day.

 

 

It’s fun trying out all the old farm equipment, even if most are antique and rusting away.

 

 

Wild turkeys roam the entire county, even though these are family pets.

 

 

Ah yes, eating is a fun pastime and the cup cakes were too good to pass up!

 

 

Such a nice visit, I’m glad I got to visit and enjoy the day here at the Russian River valley.

 

Time for Playland at Ocean Beach

I just love trains….

 

I always come back to the conservatory of flowers during the holiday’s so I could visit the holiday train exhibit – its one of the pleasures of visiting San Francisco during the holidays.

 

 

This years exhibit was geared towards the old Playland which originally was along the ocean front of San Francisco and had its heyday during the forties and fifties and ran all the way to the early 1970’s. The exhibit was a lot of fun seeing recreated parts of the ocean front and the huge cliff house along the edge of the cliffs.

 

A close up detail of the many trollies from the city going to Playland.

 

 

The ornate Cliff house, hugging the cliffs of the city and facing the expansive ocean beach into Playland.

 

 

I never saw the large victorian Cliff House here, I think it burned down in 1907, just one year after the great earthquake of 1906. It must have been the place to visit while in San Francisco back then.

 

 

As usual the place is packed with children coming to see the train exhibits and jostling to have fun at the toys and props that they can play and climb on.

 

 

How do you make this go, I’m sure this kid is wondering?

 

 

I love these special exhibits and am fortunate to see this when I visit during the holiday’s. Hope you enjoyed the visit also!

Happy New Year From Hawaii Island

Its such a beautiful day today, in fact the whole week has been amazing with beautiful blue skies. 

Even so this is our rainy season and the weeks prior were filled with non-stop days of drizzle, slow rain to bucket loads of rain coming down in one day. It wouldn’t be unusual to have a day with over ten inches of rain in just one location.

 

But today. it’s a gorgeous day and we do go outside to enjoy the day and just sit to watch the magnificent views.

Happy New Year to all from beautiful Hawaii!

What a Wonderful Parade.

To say that this is a totally zany parade is an understatement. Welcome to the Pahoa Christmas parade in East Hawaii, where you wont find the typical types of floats, people and Christmas cheer everywhere else.

 

Here, we celebrate the unique, crazy and fun that happens to everyone in this neck of the woods and the parade, really manifests the entire spirit of this community.

 

Don’t you think this is different?

I always love antique cars, especially when they are dressed in beautiful

flowers

 

 

 

Look even Aunty Claus’ sister made a guest appearance today!

 

 

I think this little tot, was going for the best float award in the parade, what a cutie!

 

 

Plenty of free hugs to go around today from the teletubbies.

 

 

 

Whats a parade without our local ukelele marching players?

 

 

one of my favorite troups, Da Puna Wieners all dressed up…

I’m dressed up and still looking for my treat, have you seen it?

 

 

Roller derby is hot in East Hawaii, these are the champion Hilo derby girls.

 

 

Past USO performer and still going strong, doing it for the Toys for tots drive, way to

go!

 

 

 

Horses and tinsel, whats not to like?

 

 

Chicken man is a well known attraction here in Pahoa town…want to buy a souvenir

chicken?

Our local circus group, does a very colorful show with unicycles, twirlers and sweet kids.

 

Our local version of santa on a sleigh, here he comes in a Big Yellow truck, courtesy of our

local fire department.

 

 

That’s the Parade at Pahoa, hope you enjoyed the whole show, it was another

special parade for participants and marchers alike.

Christmas Treat

Where's my christmas treat, i've looked everywhere...

Christmas is Here

Okay, I"m ready....where's the paaaarty???

Peace at a Zen Garden

 

 

 

 

Oh how I would love to come here often and just have some time to be

 

                         quiet, breath

 

                                    and  relax

 

 

maybe just take a moment to contemplate about my life

 

                      

 

 

                     and where I’m going

 

                                      but its too easy to get

 

               distracted in this space…

 

 

 

 

 

 

- its just too beautiful here …

 

 

 

          I love this tactile environment - I want to run my hands all through this beautiful

 

                       moss, then look at all the details

                                                                    up close

 

 

 

                          down

 

                               to

 

                                  every

 

                                     little micro-organism.

                          

 

 

                     Its very green and lush here, a perfect environment for this moss to grow

 

along with these ohia trees with their peeling bark and crevices filled with

 

green fungus

 

              mold

 

                  and bumpy looking bacteria

        

 

                     growing                     

 

                                        on their stong limbs and stems.

 

 

 

                  I look up and see the focal point atop a small mound of lava rocks and moss

 

lies a beautiful and simple buddah head

 

                                               – its sits there so peacefully and

 

                 

 

invites you in to come in and enjoy this welcoming environment.

 

                                  Aaaaaaaah – yes breath in this forest

 

                                              and enjoy the moss!

 

I wish that I could visit here more often…..