Renewal weekend

Immersing myself in nature is healing and regenerating to mind, body and soul. I am very thankful Mother Nature offers the ocean breeze, the smell of salt air, the pounding of waves and the soft wet sand I can feel between my toes.

It was a gorgeous weekend to drive to the coast 

And the drive itself is lovely. Nothing like winding through

Evergreen tree covered hills and ending up here

Northern CA

Recently returned from a wonderful vacation with my family in Boulder Creek, CA. I decided to spend a day driving down the coast on my way to meet up with the family. I viewed spectacular sites on the coast as I stopped to hike a few trails along the way:

This is Fern Canyon where parts of the second Jurasic Park were filmed 

As I walked back to my car I saw several elk on the beach- such an awesome surprise!

This is along the coast just above the trees looking out over the trees you see the fog which is where the ocean begins

Trail through the trees just above Fern Canyon

Trinidad beach trails - this is where I saw a family of whales but my iPhone camera couldn't quite capture them as they were too far out

 The driveway entrance to the home we rented for the week

This home was surrounded by beautiful Redwoods and it was hot enough during the day to enjoy the pool

The hot tub was perfect for the cool evenings

We all enjoyed the gorgeous outdoor setting and utilized the deck throughout our stay

There was even this workout deck for us to enjoy. Such a great week together. Some of us met in San Fransisco the first day we arrived and spent a few hours shopping and seeing the sites. Later in the week we hiked through 1000 year old Redwoods in Big Basin forest in Boulder Creek and drove to see the Santa Cruz beaches. A wonderful time together that went by too quickly! This was a beautiful area to spend our family vacation - I highly recommend it!

Lake of the Woods

Loved spending a few days at the lake with these sweet girls! Lake of the Woods is one of my favorite lakes here in southern Oregon. A sweet getaway for sure!

Fun with Family

Spent a fun weekend with my family the first weekend in May...

This classic convertible is my favorite color! Enjoying time with my son Josh

We brought our breakfast to the park and the grandkids had a great morning playing on the playground together 

                                Sweet little kissing cousins 

                      Saturday night was the BTB concert (Ben's band)

                       We were all there to celebrate Ben's success! 

I love hangin' out with these people - they are the best! We had a great weekend together and Sunday evening ended the festivities with a barbecue at Josh and Crystal's. Thanks everyone for the good times! 

Time for a change

We can always count on change. Life is constantly evolving and the more involved we are the more we will be a witness to change.

I've been out of town a lot this winter... My mother passed away the end of January and that change is not something I was expecting. Loss is hard. Now both of my parents have passed and it feels strange to enter a new stage of life. I miss my parents tremendously. 

So thankful for my family - my children, grandchildren, sisters and wonderful friends who have consistently been present in my life throughout all of the changes