Pinky swear ...

Teen Girl and I just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Philadelphia to visit College Girl who moved across the country more than a month ago. I snapped this shot of them surreptitiously as they walked along, pinky in pinky, like they do at home. My heart swells with happiness just thinking about how close they are, and at how hard I laughed this weekend over ... well, I really can't say. It was girl stuff! =)

The more I visit the City of Brotherly Love, the more I'm smitten. On this trip, we shopped in the boutiques of Old City, strolled through Penn's historic campus, ate decadent desserts in University City ~ the pumpkin cheesecake rocked ~ and watched street dancers bounce on wiry arms in Rittenhouse Square. Such good memories, all.

Today I'm back and doing a final read-through of an editing assignment, then it's on to some writing that's been awaiting my attention. Here's to love, new journeys, and beachy days, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Thinking of pie ...

So Teen Girl and I wandered into Pier 1 today and bought some candles that smell like spice cake. And that reminded me that we hadn't stopped at the local pumpkin patch in, oh, about eight years ~ not since she was in kindiegarten and I was one of the carpool moms. It's crazy that just because the kids grow up and move out (two in college now ... sniff sniff) we halt traditions, such as wading through hay and dirt to find the perfect pumpkin to grace our doorstep.

And so while out shopping for clothes that we never did find, we took the scenic route home along corn-dusted farms and leafy fields that stretch nearly to the sea. I love these roads, just a long stone's throw from our beachy neighborhood. By the number of cars entering the makeshift, dirt parking lots, so do our neighbors and visitors.

The big guy in the seat belt looked pretty lonesome out there in the patch surrounded by fashionable plus-sized gourds, their round bellies protruding like giant swim rings ~ and we were both smitten. He has personality, we said. The guy at the wooden check-out shack called him, "lanky." What started out as a hunt through a vast pumpkin patch turned out to be a quick trip when we spotted this big guy and brought him home.

Here's to new seasons that resurrect old traditions. Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Too good not to post

Hubby took this pic while we sat on a dune and watched the sunset. SO nice after spending the afternoon down south in sweltering heat for our daughter's soccer game.

Happy Sunday, friends! Here's to a beachy week ahead ~ wherever you are =)

It tastes better than it looks ...

I tried hard to think of a good post to go with this one, but really, I've got nuthin'. We've been back from Philly for more than a week and I'm still missing College Girl. Weird that she's not here in Cali, cracking me up like usual. Changes the dynamics of the house when one of the kids leaves. Incidentally, College Boy is home more these days. He's a junior with classes two days a week, so he comes home the rest of the time. I mean, why wouldn't he stay where the fridge is (fairly) stocked and he can sleep in his own stinky bed?

Our youngest is adjusting as best she can. She's a high school freshman who's usually joined at the hip with her sister. But that's rather hard to keep up when you live on opposite coasts. Every night we pray for her sister--and thank the Good Lord for inventing texting :)

Getting back to the Philly cheesesteak in the photo, you know, I didn't actually order one of these while there (sorry the photo's upside down; Blogger hates me), but Teen Girl tried a couple of them--for comparison sake, of course. I took a couple of bites but they're really not my thing. But as my husband said, "When in Rome ..." So, yes, he had a Philly cheesesteak AND a yuengling, because it's a law or something =).

Happy weekend, friends! Here's to family and dining like the locals ...

We returned from Philly the other night after dropping off our oldest daughter at college. Miss her bunches already, but somehow this beach chick gave birth to a city girl and I know she's happy. So that helps. Moving her in was a lot different from the time we moved our son onto a serene, enclosed campus. As I mentioned, she's in the city ... with traffic ... and zero convenient parking ... and on this particular day--rain, lightning, and 45-mile an hour winds. Welcome to the east coast, right???

Anyway, hubs and I did some last minute shopping at the Bed, Bath, and Beyond that had set up on campus--brilliant marketing plan!--and found this box of duct tape, which incidentally College Girl needed to patch a hole in her dorm room wall (I know, right?). I love this photo because there's not a drab grey in the bunch. Life's too short for plain vanilla, so kudos to BBB for thinking like a college student.

Hmm ... maybe we'd all be better off to think outside the box. Have a beachy weekend my friends, wherever you are =)

Falling for it

As I mentioned to a friend on Facebook, around here we've continued to have summer weather--except for yesterday when the air turned cool and it drizzled much of the afternoon. It was as if the weather knew the pumpkins were coming and that it should act accordingly.

Hate to admit this, but I've got my own Starbucks gold card. Yes, my name is imprinted on it and everything. Addiction at its height, I'd say. But the good thing is I've earned enough stars for a free drink, so woo hoo for that.

Today I'm wearing long sleeves (thin ones :) and heading into Sbucks for my free pumpkin latte (non-fat, of course!). Sometimes it's the little things that act like a dollop of whip cream on a long day.

Hello, fall!

TGIF

Pink sky at night, sailor's delight ... and all that. Please don't let a little thing like school starting make you think that summer's over. We've still got another couple of weeks, right? (At least on the weekends =)

Not that I'm not looking forward to digging out the fall scarves and picking up a new pair of boots. But patience is a virtue, they say, so let's enjoy those last lovely days of summer .. the sand ... the pink nights ... the palm trees swaying until the sun sets late in the evening. I don't know about you, but the older I get, the more I savor.

A happy FRIDAY to you, my beachy friends ... wherever you are :)

Happy Thursday! Ducking in to let you know that Chocolate Beach (recipe edition) is FREE on Kindle today only. Just thought I'd mention it.

Hope it's sunny where you are. Ventura is humid and overcast today ... what's up with that? Here's to a beachy weekend ahead ... wherever you are :)

Oldy but goody ...

Update: It's up to a buck 99 now, but that's still a good deal, methinks.

Back to the original post :) :

The owner of Trufflehounds in downtown Ventura said that fans of my book, Truffles by the Sea, took a pic of themselves outside of their chocolate shop one day. How cool is that? If you didn't know, the shop depicted in the book - the one Gaby regularly visits for "sustenance" - is based on our very own local chocoholic emporium :)

If you haven't read T by the Sea and have a Kindle, it's on sale for 99cents. Not sure how long that will last, so wanted to let you know.

Have a beachy weekend, friends - wherever you are :)

Surfer's Knoll

Dreaming of last weekend ...

Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Are you watching???

Swimming - check. Beach volleyball - check. SOCCER -- check, check!

All those fit people make me want to go out and run farther than my puny two mile beach run. Can you relate?

My girls won two tickets to the American Idol concert tonight, so I made the 2+ hour drive with them in rush hour traffic - with College Girl at the wheel - in order for them to arrive by 7.  And my laptop and I've been at Starbucks ever since ... good thing I'm a gold card member =).

I've never been the Coffee House Office type of gal, but it's worked well for me tonight: free wi-fi, electrical outlet, chai tea ... a restroom, lol.  Who needs to pay rent? I've gotten tons done for only $2.95!

Here's to impromptu concerts and late nights with plenty of caffeine ... 

Morning Glory

When I stepped outside this morning for my run, Charlie the Dog wasn't happy ... because it was raining. Raining ... at the beach ... in July. Suddenly, we're from the east coast! We're not used to this in Cali, and my dog is a big baby when it comes to water. Doesn't like it. Weird, right?

But it didn't faze me. I love running in the rain. As a bonus, the sun was shining ... and there were TWO rainbows over the sea. Two sweet neighbors, both older gentlemen, stopped me on my run today. "See the rainbows?" they asked. Lovely.

The only bummer is I didn't have a camera with me. The good news is that my friend, Patricia ~  in the next town over ~ woke up early and saw the rainbows too. Her backyard faces the west, so she stepped out onto her desk and snapped a few photos ~ and voila ~ she sent them my way.

In Genesis, God said, "... When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth." 

No wonder rainbows in the sky make us so happy (well, except for Charlie the dog =). Have a beachy week, my friends ... wherever you are.

I'll probably be in a lot of trouble for posting this photo, but then again, my kids don't read my blog so maybe they'll never find out. As you can see by the date stamp, this was 1996, when they were 2 and 5, and I was, well, just a teenager. Ha. Notice my quest to start their beach obsession young. Contrary to how it looks, I fed my son. Even at nearly 21 now he eats like a horse but doesn't have the poundage that I would if I packed it on like that. How fair is that? I actually had another post in mind, but ran across this photo and decided to use it to usher in the first weekend of July. May it inspire you to hit the beach, touristy binocs and all ... =)

Just returned from a hastily planned trip to Pennsylvania. My beloved father in law passed away, so we packed up and left California in order to honor his home going. He lived in the same small town nestled in the Allegheny Mountains where he and my mother in law - also in heaven now - raised five boys. FIVE boys. Can't imagine what that was like!

One thing's for sure ... once again, when we arrived, we knew we weren't in beachy Cali anymore. Here's a photo of our niece, our son, and one of our daughters as they chewed on sassafras leaves during a hike. They also picked wild blueberries and spotted bunnies darting out of brush. No palm trees in sight ...

The loss of my in laws is profound, the hole in our hearts unmistakable. And our kids have spent many vacations (most of them, actually) in a town of about 4,000 people where truly everybody knows your name. My son has red hair like his dad's (Dan's is white now), so people recognize Matt as a Carobini whenever we're in town. We're going to miss so much about Ridgway, PA ... but thankful, yes, so grateful for the memories.

Repost ... from November 2010

I've reposted this in honor of The Anderson Family who will soon be moving to the Santa Cruz area, a place that holds so many happy memories for us. Here's to you, dear friends!

On Saturday afternoon, Dan and I strolled along the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, bought two tickets, and rode THIS. This is the Giant Dipper, built in 1924, and the site of many childhood memories for me. During the summers, my family spent two weeks in a cabin in nearby Scotts Valley, and a highlight was always our visit to the boardwalk. That and our multiple screaming plunges down that big ol' roller coaster. It's red, white and made out of wood...a roller coaster purist's dream :)

Soon after our ride, our college kid called my cell.

"So, you and dad rode the Giant Dipper?"
"Yeah."
"By yourselves?"
LOL

After the boardwalk, we headed over to Steamer's Lane to check out the lighthouse/surfing museum, and watch surfers from a nearby cliff. The water looked crazy deep but the waves ran long and smooth, and one surfer in particular was quick enough to catch several (seemingly) unending rides. Best free entertainment of the day, I tell you!

Summer Reads on Sale

Wanted to let you know that ALL of my beach novels are discounted this week on Kindle. This is a special, limited time promotion by B&H Publishers. Also, Chocolate Beach, the Recipe Version, is FREE on KINDLE for five days only: June 18 - June 22. If you're interested in picking up any or all, please don't delay because these discounts expire soon.

You can find the Otter Bay Novels on Amazon by my name or by their titles: Sweet Waters, A Shore Thing, and Fade to Blue. Or click on the covers on my sidebar. (Also available at a discount is Truffles by the Sea.)

And if you'd be so kind, would you pass this news along to your KINDLE-loving friends? If you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Thanks much, and have a beachy day, my friends ... wherever you are ...

Sometimes it's the little things ..

... like temporary free parking to check the surf. I mean, seriously, do you want to have to pay a buck only to find out that the surf is flat?

Lol ... see? This is why I write about seaside towns in all their quirky glory. I've lived in California all my life so I've got fodder for YEARS, people!

If the sun's out where you are, I hope you'll find some time (even for a break) to ditch the office and let it shine on your face a bit. Have a beachy day, wherever you are ...

I send out news when I have some to share ... not just any old time. So I hope you'll sign up for my occasional newsletter either on my sidebar to the right (you'll have to scroll down a bit). Or you can click the HOME button up top and sign up on that page. The next issue will go out in about 9 days because I've got some sweet deals to announce! Plus I'll tell you about one of our favorite places to stay on the central California coast and what's up in my writing world.

I hope you'll sign up. I pinky promise not to bombard you with mail =).

My oldest daughter just finished her last high school paper. For-e-vah. Next week she graduates, and I'm excited, but also can't quite believe it. She's my fun, redheaded crazy girl and I'm going to miss seeing that sweet face every day when she moves away to college. So weird that while she grew up, I stayed exactly the same. Haha...

Congratulations to the class of 2012! May you set the bar high ... but not so high that you forget to laugh a lot. It's good medicine, they say.