on christmas eve when i was at work, two young women came in and did this exact thing. and they were real, hearty hugs. makes me happy and strangely sad at the same time.
(yes, that is a sock on her head, and then a bra that she curled up in!)
earlier tonight, my sister and i drove to malibu to have dinner at the chart house restaurant. built alongside pacific coast highway and facing the ocean, it provided some beautiful views despite it being dark out. i wish i had better pictures to show (the first was taken from their website). the restaurant was kind enough to light up the beach area so we could see all of the seagulls perching atop the water, or running across the wet sand leaving their footprints. the drive shouldn't have taken us more than an hour, but it took well over an hour and half to get there with the evening and holiday traffic.
first picture: my sister standing next to the fire pit out on the patio-- the fire kept on flying about because of the sea breeze! the patio was still quite chilly despite the fire pit, what with the ocean lapping up against the rocks right beneath us and the ocean breezes.
second picture: you can see the reflection of the fire pit and my sister in the background there, but this picture was taken looking down from the patio. if you were to go a little farther down the beach to the right, you would see all of the seagulls. wait! there are some white dots, i think that those were some of them :) honestly, the way they were hanging out out there, it's like they knew that they were being observed!
i'm enjoying this "exploring" of california. it's funny how people think that simply because you grow up or live here, you know all of the places to go that are nice, which really isn't true. i like how the weather changes so drastically as you get closer to the coastline; how driving down pacific coast highway feels like you're going to drive right into the ocean and never come back.
i want to bundle up and take a drive to malibu beach during the day time and walk along the coast. i want to take good friends to see and experience these same places so that it feels like new. i try not to talk about the missing that i feel because it's all the same-- words on the screen. it's better to think about future visits and the fun that will be had. it's easier that way.
today was gloriously cool (a high of 58 degrees!) with scattered clouds due to the breeze that sent "winter" leaves scattering about like little school children. it was lovely being able to see the mountain scape today, and to cuddle up into a warm sweater when the breeze nippishly tugged at my clothing. it may be balmy for MN, but it's starting to feel a little bit more holiday-ish here. :)
i'm looking forward to a roadtrip with my favorite person in the world that does not involve driving in separate cars, 16 hour driving days, and being scared sh*tless driving on curvy, high roads. did i mention that heather kitty cried a lot, too?
we will be hosted by the lovely d & l (we hope to return the favor when we have our own place), and plan on visiting friends, taking many pictures, and OMG, macworld! ;D
• getting my heavy locks shorn into pretty layers :)
• going to school, petting & chasing the cat
• after running on wednesday, i heard some bells and turned to see two great danes about this size walking behind their (presumable) owner, replete with santa hats and jingling bells around their necks. i'm not kidding! they're as big as me. i wish i had gotten a picture, it was so awesome!
• putting on my dancing shoes and going out to dinner at bistro 45 ($32 piece of meat, what?! to its credit, it was really tasty. it's also where i took the picture of the crème brûlée.)
• knitting (don't you wish you knew what? ;)
is it really halfway through the month already? :o
it may be a little late in coming, and strange given that we're still getting 80 degree days, but the nights are cold enough for the trees to decide that It Is Time, and thus start to change into the pretty bouquets that i miss.
i dreamt that i drove up into the mountains and that there was snow crunching beneath my feet. the strange part? you can actually do that here in califoria, all within an hour's drive.
p.s. yes, the grass is still very green, and that is indeed a palm tree in the background!
Show us something by your favorite artist.
Submitted by Miss Parker.
both of these paintings can be found at one of my favorite musuems, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
