Return to reality

We just made the drive back from the beach to the desert.  The temperature went up by 40 degrees from when we left the beach to when we arrived at our doorstep in the middle of the hot afternoon. My grass is brown and my plants look bedraggled.

Just about everyone I know is already retired.  But we both want to hang on as long as we can because we love what we do for a living and I have the ability to work from anywhere.  So why hang it up?  I had a little office set up in the condo we rent and I had a view of the Glorietta Bay and the boat docks.  I saw fireworks every night from at least two locations and sometimes three, if the Padres were in town.  I love fireworks.

Here is the problem.  I have to go back to AZ sometime.  Clients want to actually see me and of course my dogs want to see me, and I have about a zillion projects going that need to be tended to at home --- so return to reality happens right now.

I have much to look forward to:

• My first photography class-this Saturday!!

• Broadway shows with my friend

• Home staging 
• Cleaning out my garage
• Planning another "Epic" garage sale
• Getting my garden back in line.... it needs a little love right now.  It misses me.
• Fall decorating.  I have been watching some of my favorite bloggers and they have been talking and showing Fall decorating all month.  It is still over 100 degrees in AZ so I could not have done it even if I would have been home.  The neighbors would have laughed me out of the neighborhood.  I think they may do that anyway when I start decorating in September.  I usually leave the outdoor decorating  on the front patio for last so they can't see what I am up to.
• A few fall projects, including the book painting project and the burlap book covering project.  All ideas from Yvonne at Stonegableblog.com.

Kit unassembled.

Kit pieces

Kit Before

I finished  a Halloween project while I was on my retreat.  It was a kit and I changed it up a bit but I will freely admit that the kits made by this company are fabulous and I basically just follow their clear instructions.  If you want to make a book to chronicle your memories,  take a look at "Button Farm".  Their choice of materials and instructions are awesome.  Anyone can make a successful project.  I am planning to fill this book with pics of the G kids in their Halloween costumes.

Inside front cover and page 1

All of the following pics are interior pages of the Halloween Kit, completed.

A Last Look at Coronado

One of my visitors said I should write about what to do in Coronado.  My list would be pretty short, go to the beach and then go to the beach again.


But I do ride my bike.

I do not Paddleboard but others do.

I do not sail, but I watch them sail.

Jetski-No way......

I eat, I  drink a little.  Not much.  I am pretty boring.
I have kayaked once with a female family member and they had to come out and get us.  We were stranded and the kids were standing on the shore laughing their heads off.  I will never kayak again.

I do rent a speedboat, if anyone wants to go out in the bay.  It is a different view than the beach view.

Dinner cruise-done that- not exactly fine dining, but fun to eat while on the water, and if a Navy boat comes into port they have super special fireworks.

Movie theater-It is renovated and nice but super small--- no recliners, no dinner service, just an old fashioned movie theater with popcorn and candy.

Live music- At the Del most nights in their bar, Babcock and Story.  At McP's almost nightly, but starts late, like 9 PM.  I like the afternoon on the patio stuff.  Wednesday and Thursday at LeRoy's Kitchen.
Kokomo-The Beach Boys............
"Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo Montego,
baby why don't we go
Ooh I wanna take you down to Kokomo,
we'll get there fast
and then we'll take it slow
That's where we wanna go,
way down in Kokomo."

Coming Soon:

• Return to Reality
• The Birthday Club
• Internet Shopping on the cheap
• Wicked? Phantom?.......
• Switching to Fall
• The Garage Before and After
• The Kitchen Remodel

Love, Ya-Ya

The Beverly Hillbillies go to the Beach and a few S'Mores at the Del

 I could not resist taking some photos of the trek from the condo to the beach.  Our condo is next to the beach and we store all of our beach stuff in the garage so you just have to pull it along the street adjacent to the beach.  But remember Ya-Ya is one of the people who go to the beach and has Ya-Ya ever traveled light?  No way.  So we drag a wagon full of our umbrellas, chairs, beach towels, shovels, food, cooler.......

The old man and the sea.....

This is a view of our typical camp site each day we go to the beach.  Not exactly a decorators dream.

The boys were posing for Ya-Ya.  I think I captured some very cool moments.

The kids made some new friends while they were building their mountain, torpedo, slide and lake.

Hard at work on the sand creation.

New friend.

Like Father, Like Son..............

The boys hamming it up before we made our hot dogs and S'Mores at the Del firepits.

Almost the end of a great day...............

I many times think we look like the Beverly Hillbillies with all of our junk.  We did not, however, hit gold in our backyard.....But remember the song, we all knew it by heart.  Have a great day and love up those kids,

Ballad of Jed Clampett by Flatt and Scruggs................
"Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed
Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
Then one day he was shooting for some food,
And up through the ground come a bubbling crude
(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)

Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire
Kin folk said Jed move away from there
Said California is the place you oughta be
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
(Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)"
Coming Soon:

• A last look at Coronado
• The Birthday Club
• Internet shopping on the cheap
• A Halloween Project completed
• Return to Reality
• Ya-Ya goes back to class

Love, Ya-Ya