Santa Cruz Weekend

I just returned home from a wonderful weekend in Santa Cruz. It was a time away with 55 women who gathered for a Renewal. The sisters at the Villa Maria del Mar retreat house welcomed us with open arms and gave us loving hospitality. It is located on a bluff right over the Pacific Ocean... it is a spectacular setting.

This sweet chapel was right across the road from the retreat center. It is tiny and people were stand on the door steps during their Saturday afternoon Mass. I spent that time taking a long walk along the beach. The weather was warm and there was very little breeze. It was perfect beach weather.


This tree is in front of the retreat house at the edge of the bluff. It is huge and is over 100 years old. I tried to capture its essence.
It was wonderfully bent and crooked and dramatic.

This particular renewal is put on two times a year... now I have been, I plan to return.