Celebrations and Friends and Family

This week was filled with friends and birthday celebrations. 

My daughter, Kate, has a birthday this week. We drove out to 

Pt. Reyes to see Susan Hall's art show at Toby's Feed Barn.

We both love Susan's work and the show was wonderful.

Pt. Reyes is a sweet little town in West Marin. 

One of my favorite places is the Bovine Bakery.

We stopped in for a vegan ginger orange scone.

I love cows, so I had to take a photo of this wonderful

ceramic art.

Kate took this photo of me in the bakery. 

I have on my favorite hat that I got as a gift for my 70th birthday. It is still going strong and so far, so am I.

On Tuesday, we celebrated Jillian's birthday at a local Thai

restaurant in Marin. We all are friends through our Watercolor Journal Group. Our group has been together for about 6 years and we have become good friends.  Here is the card I made her.

One of us ordered Spring Rolls, they were so pretty. 

I love the radish rose.

And to top off all these events, my dear friend, Shirley Blaul,

came through town on her way to Colorado for a Theta reunion. These Theta alums have known each other for 60 years! 

Shirley is so good at maintaining and nourishing friendships. 

She writes notes, calls, emails and stays in touch in so many ways. I always tease her about how many Christmas cards 

she sends each year. 

Shirley, Mae Wygant and I purchased a home in Jacksonville, OR in 2000. We were the Northwest version of the Golden Girls. 

It was a great adventure to blend 3 households and 3 very different ways and ideas of how to run a home. We had a lot of laughs and I am so very grateful for that experience. Living in Jacksonville for 8 years was a wonderful time in my life. I call it my "parenthesis" as to living in the Bay Area all my life. I tell people I was born in San Francisco and have always lived in the SF Bay Area except for my "Oregon Parenthesis". What a wonderful change it was for me at the time. I now am happy to be here and near my family. However,  I do miss the slower pace and friendly lifestyle of a small town. Life was simple and sweet in Jacksonville.  It was just right for me at that time in my life.  

Things move more quickly down here and I love the variety and being able to hop in the car and be in a completely difference environment in less than an hour. We have the bay, the ocean, the farm lands, the mountains, the cosmopolitan areas... just drive a little while and bingo, a new place to explore and experience.

Life is good for me here and I rarely get bored with so many choices. Being near my family is so important to me as I get a little older and a little less adventurous. It is so nice to have someone to come with me from time to time.