Morro Bay

Last week we took a really nice drive down Hwy 1 to Morro Bay and these are a few of the pictures.  I did a sunrise walk and the photo above is of our shadows at sunset.  It was so nice to just get away for a couple of nights and the drive down Hwy 1 from Carmel to Morro Bay is one of the most beautiful drives in the world.  Going down we drove late in the afternoon and coming home we chose early to mid-morning.  Perfect both ways. It's always best not to have the sun in your eyes.  We stopped at one of my favorite eateries, Linn's, in Cambria for dinner on our way down.

This is a Marbled Godwit I met while taking my sunrise photo walk on the beach.  He was working on his breakfast.

The birds were so intent on grabbing these hapless crabs that I didn't seem to bother them in the least.  The last shot for this post is the reflection of Morro Rock in the wet sand.  I was so fortunate to head out that morning. The next morning the coast was socked in with fog!

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Good News

Still working on some design ideas, this is part of the Beaches series.

CT results for v were very encouraging. They usually have been. However, this time the doctor made the comment "...of the tumors still remaining...".  Still remaining? Some have actually gone???  Yes, several per the doctor.  There are a few small ones outside of the liver area and a few remain in both lungs, however the largest (which had always been the largest) has diminished to around thumbnail size and had started out silver dollar sized.  Although the CT cannot perfectly visualize the esophagus it does show the area and that area appears normal.  So v is taking a break from chemo. He'll start again in September.  We took a celebratory getaway to Morro Bay to take some pictures for the current project.

We have now decided that both of us have gotten way out of shape.  Hiking sand dunes about did us in.  We've concentrated so much on his weight and preserving energy that we lost sight of something very fundamental; physical exercise.  So we see a lot of walking in our immediate future!

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Wetlands Series

Everyday I learn something.  I am working on several new images.  Egrets in the wetlands of Elkhorn Slough.

v and I are awaiting the results of his latest CT scan of last Friday. We'll find out what progress he's made since the last time.  He feels very sure that he is now in remission. His energy is outstanding. He's become our new head gardener here at home.  Our so sadly neglected gardens are making a comeback.  The gardening is new to him, he has heretofore been in charge of construction and I've done the planting and general layouts. So, his vision is coming through now.  They become his healing gardens.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Emily Says It All

...and to think, I didn't name my cat, Emily, after her!

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Meet ups at the Farmers' Markets

I haven't posted a Farmers' Market shot in a while.  I do love the local FMs.  Aside from the food v and I enjoy watching people and listening to the music. We meet friends at the markets and head to side street coffee houses for long conversations.  Well, and then, of course there is the food!  On Tuesdays there are several stalls featuring exotic looking vegetables that are used in Asian cooking.  It's fun just pointing out something unknown to us and have the stall keeper give us tips on how to cook it.

San Luis Obispo to the south of us has a huge Thursday Market on Thursday evenings. Once a year my childhood friend comes up from Southern California for a workshop held at Cal Poly SLO and we meet up with her for the Thursday market.

So, we've had our FM fix for this month...at least the first one.

In bocca al lupo. m & v

A Summer's Afternoon

A lazy Sunday afternoon in August after a couple of days of canning jellies, jams, and pickles and a late "girls' night" evening with a Call the Midwife marathon with m-e (so much for a mystery, eh?). If you haven't discovered this show you really must.

I am so happy to be able to write that v is regaining some of his strength and energy and has been out working in the garden several days over the past couple of weeks.  We've so neglected it since his illness began.  I was afraid it was lost, but he has been painstakingly resurrecting it for us.  He has even been coaxing the tomatoes to fruit. No corn or beans this year, no pumpkins.  One sunflower came up from seed from our stand of last year.  However, one success that has nothing to do with us is the apricot harvest this year.  After last year's complete absence of that fruit due to a late frost we have an abundance of beautiful rosy yellow fruit to harvest. 

We've even been having a good share of sunny days, so far, this summer.  Not necessarily warm days, but the sun has been showing itself more often than in recent summers past.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v