Fall 2018

I was sad to see summer go. I love the longer days and warmer weather. Yet, California seasons are quite different than the New York seasons, where I spent my childhood.  Here in the Bay Area, we tend to have an extended summer. One that lasts into Fall. 

That meant we were able to enjoy some a bright, sunny day while sporting wear shorts and tees at a new (for us) Fall festival we checked out up in Sonoma. Complete with hayrides, crafts, reptiles to check out and play areas, we were able to enjoy a lovely Fall day that felt more like Summer.

One thing I do appreciate about Fall is pumpkins. I love pumpkins. I also enjoy Halloween.  The girls worked hard on costumes and decorating the house. On Halloween night, there is great delight in Trick or Treating at other homes all spooky and creepy.

Like most things in life, there are things to enjoy and lesser things to enjoy. Thus, I came to terms Fall; with the earlier setting of sun, in exchange for cheery pumpkins and Fall festivities.  There is something joyful about the season. Something sweet, that allows the kids to be kids and the adult to let their soul child out. 

So here's to Fall 2018, one that brought fun days and new memories for us to cherish.

The Thing About Being in the Moment....

.......Is that if you pay attention, you may find magical places and experience magical moments. Like walking through dense swamp land; filled with rich, deep greens that settle down into one's heart; or vibrant flowers that provide vital nectar for huge bumble bees that do graceful dances, as they flutter from one petal to the next. You may get to meet decades old trees that hold the ways and secrets of the swamp and forest; containing it all in their trunks that are strong yet elegant. You may meet a ginormous spider, who telepathically asks you not to interrupt their meal of a bumble bee. A huge bumble bee, that missed the flowers and met their fate in the equally ginormous web. You may have had the privilege of seeing a handful of turtles that pop up their heads, one at a time, their black faces with yellow stripes a stark contrast to the green that surrounds them. If you stay in the present moment you might have seen the path that brought all this and more, all while breathing in the thick humidity that makes it all the more enchanting. It was staying in the moment, being open to what was before us, that made for making treasured memories with my heart brother Vincenzo. Letting go of agendas, letting go of fears, letting go period. Life feels more alive when staying in the moment.

                                                                       

Southern House Envy

I loved so many of the houses in New Orleans and in the country areas, just north of the city.  Every where I looked I thought, "Oh my, I could live there." I covet homes with a Caribbean flavor; the wide verandas, colors, and classic look. I am pretty sure in at least one of my past lives, I drank many a cup of mint tea on a veranda like the many I drooled over. One day, maybe, just maybe, I will call a home like this my own......

Nix Nax in NOLA

 Nix Nax means a little bit of this and a little bit of that. That is according to my sister friend who runs a small guest house in Jamaica called, of course, Nix Nax Rainbow Isle of Light.  

Here are a few glimpses of the little bit of this and the little bit of that, which I witnessed or experienced in New Orleans.