I LOVE MY DOG!

Inspiration ~ Continued

Old Photographs

This photo is of my mom's hand and mine when I was two or three years old at the beach in Mendocino, the place we went every summer. Old photos bring back such good memories, and are so comforting for that reason. I also love to make cards out of old photos. My photos, old and new, are some of my most treasured possessions.


Kamato Hongo of Japan

I cut this photo out of a newspaper years ago. At the time, she was the oldest documented person alive on Earth. But the reason I cut it out was that she was 115 years old and grinning like a 5-year-old. Although she may have been one of the oldest people on Earth, she was certainly young at heart, and from the look of the photo, still in love with life. I aspire to be like her, especially in old age. But really, even now.


Hawaiiana

I am in love with the Hawaiian Islands. I have been since I first stepped foot in Kauai back in 1995, and the more I go, and the more the years pass, I love the islands even more. Everything about Hawaiian culture inspires me. I love the Hawaiian people and culture and the lifestyle. And the aloha spirit is alive and well in the islands, that's for sure. I could be happy living in the islands for life. The beaches, surfing and hula would be plenty to keep me very happy and occupied. This photo was taken when I lived on the North Shore of Oahu in 2001. I had the day off and spent it making a lei. This was my view off of my front deck. Not bad. Wish I was there now.


Travel

I think that travel is my ultimate inspiration. I love to travel more than just about anything else on Earth. Exploring new places, hearing the languages, seeing the sights, and tasting the cuisine, all of these things are such a thrill. Traveling, to me, is as good as it gets. And the people, the people you meet are unforgettable. I think the people I have met while traveling have been the best part of all. This photo is of Karissa and I in Havana, Cuba in November of 2007. This was an incredible trip, and probably my favorite trip ever.

Inspirations

Beaches

Being at the beach is the ultimate source of happiness and inspiration for me; the beautiful ocean, the salty air, the happy dogs, the seashells and other ephemera that wash ashore, the waves, everything at the beach conspires to make me happy.

Cool Messages from the Universe

When I was living in Oceanside, back in 2002, I would walk to my favorite coffee shop every morning for an iced coffee and a muffin. On the way, I would always walk past (or over) this piece of stamped cement that read O.U. Miracle. What a great morning message, and how uplifting.

Being with my Best Friend

Whether we're walking on the beach, cooking together, swimming or surfing, or taking a trip together, I am have the best time of my life with I am with my chica. There are no words for how happy we are when we're together.


Visual Delights

I took this photograph at a spice bazaar in the South of France near Aix-en-Provence back in Summer of 2000. The world is ablaze with visual delights; I love finding them and capturing them. Not to mention how cool were these spices? Most of which I'd never heard of. But some of that had to be due to the fact that I didn't know all of the French to English translations.

Adventures with Megumi

Now that Summer is almost over, and my time with Megumi is almost over too, I wanted to write a little bit about our time together.

Let's see, so we went to the zoo, a lot, and that was fun, at least when it wasn't hot. Megumi really loved the giraffes and zebras and flamingos. (Who doesn't?) Lately we've been going to the duck pond and the fish aquarium, which I think we both like better than the zoo. There is this turtle at Capitol Aquarium that Megumi absolutely loves, he swims right up to the glass to say hello when we're walking by. I think we both wish we could adopt him. And there's this adorable big orange fish named Sherbert there too, who loves to rub noses with people through the glass. This turtle and fish duo are so sweet that kids just love them, and they've got a little unoffical fan club going. I mean, can you blame these kids? I'm sure Turtle and Sherbert are nicer than most of the people these kids know.

Today we were at the river, and the river was beautiful. We took an hour long walk this morning before it got too hot. There were dozens of dragonflies, and lots of birds and squirrels, along with the occasional person or dog, or both.

It's a really wonderful stage she's in, it's the age of discovery. She want to know the words to everything, and how everything works. I will miss her when I go back to school but I'm glad I'll be going back when school is over. She's such a special little girl.

Kayaking

It was really nice to get out of Sac and head up to the Sierras for a day of kayaking with Rob, my dad, and my stepmom Donna. We stayed with my dad in Auburn on Friday night, then spent the day kayaking on Saturday at a lake up toward Tahoe. It's such a peaceful experience just being alone in the boat in the middle of the lake. Living in a city makes it tough to get out into wide open spaces very often. It's so good to just look out at the water, relax, and empty the mind of all the busy thoughts that constantly occupy me. I'd like to do a lot more kayaking in the near future. And kayaking in Southern Baja to whale watch one winter is a big dream too, among many others.

Chicas

My chica was here this week and there is nothing in the world like being with your best friend. All I know is that when she is here, I am so happy, and I have no worries in the world. My boyfriend made the most wonderful Chilean meal, and we just ate, drank, danced with Coconut and caught up (or tried to) about everything under the sun. I wished we lived closer. I miss her so much.