song to the siren

one of my favorite songs of all time. so simple and haunting.

new art

i recently finished an ocean inspired painting for our living room, which has great views of monterey bay (you can faintly see blue out the window in the mirror).
i'm pleased with how it turned out and how it fits into the room. and i'm also surprised because a work on this scale, done in paint, and on display in my home is something very new for me....

this little gnome is home

1. Untitled, 2. gnome_deer, 3. The Ghetto Snail-Riding Garden Gnome, 4. gnome alone, 5. Cedric is in search for a new home (Project 365 - Day 23 & Plastic 52 - Week 27), 6. eloise vs. the gnomes


...at least for a little while. we have been traveling so much lately that i really do feel like the gnome from the movie Amelie.
and so, a homage to this wee jolly traveler.

a visit from mom

last week my mom came to visit and i was able to not only play tour guide, but also the role of tourist as well. unfortunately, the weather was rainy and chilly for a couple days, but we broke out the rain gear and made the best of it. fortunately, there are so many things to see and do here that we didn't have a shortage of places to explore. here's a list of some of our adventures:

• touring the beautiful and historic carmel mission

• wine tasting in carmel valley at the chateau julien winery, which was really a great time... such beautiful facilities.

• enjoying carmel-by-the-sea's quaint village atmosphere by admiring the many fairytale-like cottages.

• exploring pacific grove's charming main street and shops, as well as its many distinctive victorian homes and having lunch at this cafe.

• a drive along highway 1 through big sur... so stunning.

• visiting the monterey aquarium on my birthday, which was the perfect way for a pisces to spend the day!

a great week indeed and i'm looking forward to sharing this beautiful area with many more visitors.

san diego

Two weekends ago we headed down to beautiful san diego to see my nephew jonathon graduate from boot camp. i hardly recognized him, as he had put on 30 lbs of muscle and had a new air of pride and strength about him.

after the ceremony early friday, we had the rest of the weekend to experience sunny san diego. we stayed at the bay club hotel on shelter island, which was the perfect locale from which to explore the area. with perfect weather and gorgeous ocean views, our time in san diego was a quick stay in paradise.

unexpectedly, the weekend ended up being largely about enjoying live music. next to our hotel, humphrey's on the bay was having a preview and fundraiser for the upcoming indiefest event and we were able to catch some excellent acts, including my favorite of the evening bitter sober.

on saturday evening, we ventured away from the tourist part of town to catch a concert at acoustic music san diego, which holds its shows in a beautiful church in the heart of the city. in this intimate and unique setting, i enjoyed a moving performance by the duhks. it was truly a great way to usher in my birthday week and welcome my 28th year. as i start to get older, i am less interested in going out to bars and mixing in that scene, but would rather enjoy great live music.

more wallpaper

why wallpaper? on its own it can function as art and add depth, dimension, and character to a space.

this is wallpaper done well.
ok... enough about wallpaper!

current obsession: wallpaper

1. Untitled, 2. IMG_3658RETRö, 3. Maison de ma grand mère 01, 4. dining room detail, 5. A Real Coffee Table book, 6. Untitled

wallpaper is back in a big way. i only wish that i could cover a wall with a beautiful pattern, but alas we are renting our beachside abode. i especially like the idea of wallpapering an entryway, powder room, or one wall in a room for impact.

angus & julia stone: mango tree

i'm relating to the imagery and sound of this song right now.