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Monday, August 8, 2011

Our Travels (Part 2)

A great big thank you for the warm welcomes back home!  I have to admit that returning to a stack of bills and unfinished business had me a bit stressed at first.....but as I tackle things little by little, I'm loosening up and enjoying being home.

Most of all, I'm enjoying catching up with all of you..heehee!
I did mention how much I missed you, right?!  Haha!

A few of you were just as amazed as I was about Maggie's sewing skills from last post....
I thought I'd share a pic of the finished product :)


I fastened it to her new backpack. I can't believe she starts Kindergarten this Wednesday!

Okay, so I left off with us in Ferndale....
Where we went next blew my mind!

Have any of you heard of Agate Beach?  We've passed it many times in our travels, but have never stopped before....


You walk down a long steep path to the beach....and when you look down....you see this instead of sand!


Stones of every color polished to perfection by the sea...so smooth, so round...they feel amazing!
After the thrill of Glass Beach, this was an unexpected treat....because if you search hard enough, you'll see why this beach gets it's name.


Agates...shiny, ultra smooth, with a bit of transluscence formed in lava rock where bubbles once hardened...created thru layer after layer of minerals washed within it.  The rock erodes, and these little beauties fall out and make their way to the sea to be tumbled with the other stones....
They look like candy rocks or jellybeans to me...makes me want to eat them :D
Don't worry, I'll find a craftier way to use these...heehee....

Making our way up north, we stopped to take in the views of the ocean whenever we could....the fog would roll in so suddenly and change the whole feel....a vulture in a tree helped, too...


Settling down in one of our most favorite campgrounds ever, we breathed deeply and felt any remaining cares drop away.  The Redwood National Forest is breathtakingly beautiful!  There is a place called Fern Canyon where you are surrounded by walls of greenery....


....the sound of rushing water in your ears as you walk over a clear cool stream....


A fairy lover's paradise....



A gorgeous place to feel renewed and grateful for all that is good....


As if that isn't enough...between the beach and the mountain that makes the canyon, theres is a marsh where the stream water pools....


The Roosevelt Elk love to gather here to eat the tender plants.  These elk are huge, 2nd only to moose!
When you wade thru the marsh, you reach the beach.


Thankfully, her Daddy can put up with the cold, cold water better than I.  Maggie is unfazed by it...even when her lips turn purple and she's shivering...she wants to go in some more...brrr!


We crossed over into Oregon and stopped for more pictures....


It doesn't matter how many times I see these formations....I'm in awe :)

One of our other favorite places to visit is The Westcoast Game Park in Bandon, Oregon....


Not only do you get to appreciate animals from afar (and not too far, at that)....but pet....


....hold....



...and feed some incredible creatures....


I had no idea how hot antlers with velvet on them feel....all those blood vessels bringing heat up to them....


We set up camp in a town called Florence, which just happened to be close enough to arrange to meet a good Blog Friend of mine!   Marty recently relocated to Oregon just in time for our lives to intersect!


Maggie and I had a lovely time getting to know her and her adorable children better.  We hit a few thrift stores and had an all around wonderful time!  The dork that I am, I forgot my camera, but she did a post about our visit here...
Thank you so much, Marty, for your hospitality, your charm and welcoming smile!  So glad I finally got to meet you! (...and thanks for letting me raid your Thrift store stash of goodies...heehee!) 


We continued our vacation with more trips to the beach...


Playing with the driftwood...


Jim got his shadow in there to make sure he was still part of the picture :)
Here's my windswept Darling in the driftwood teepee behind us....


We ended up going almost all the way to the top of Oregon, but somehow don't have many pictures...(not too dissappointed, are you...hehe?)
But on the way back down, we stopped at a viewpoint near Big Sur....


A house once stood at this location, built in the '40's....
The master bedroom looked out on this....


Can you imagine?  The water was just gorgeous.  I don't think I've ever seen it look that clear or that blue-green in California....ever! 

I hope most of you are still awake...heehee!
That was a lot of pictures, I know.  Thanks for stopping in to see them...

I'll leave you with just 2 more...the hair clips that I've made so far.



In the shop now :)

I'm making my rounds, I apologize if I haven't gotten to you yet....trying to check in between loads of laundry and re-organizing.  You are all so important to me.  Wish I could travel and meet each and every one of you!

Have a fantastic week ahead!
Hugs and a pucker...Mwah!
Cam

 

Saturday, August 6, 2011

The Travelers are Home! (Part 1)

Hello and big hugs to all!  We're back!  Yay!
I can't wait to catch up with you again!
I've missed you all dearly! How have you been?

It's amazing how quickly a month goes by...
...and yet, it is incredible how much can be squeezed into it!

I think it best to break this post up into 2 parts.  I have over 40 pictures to share with you...and I'd like you to still be awake at the end of them...haha!
Let's begin, shall we?


We started our trip in beautiful Santa Barbara.  Nothing like the feeling of the first days of vacation....all the worry of travel arrangements and packing, bills and mundane life behind you....all the thrill of adventure and promise of relaxation ahead...
I love to not only look around me, but up, as well...to soak in every bit of delightfulness.  I remember snapping this picture, taking in a deep breath....and being filled with such contentment :)

Maggie is the main focus of our journeys, so we try to plan lots of things that she'll enjoy...


The Santa Barbara Zoo had this great hill for the kids to slide down...


I love taking photos of animals and nature...so catching the gorgeous eye of this Hornbill was really neat for me...

We also visited a few Aquariums on our trip.  These were taken at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium near San Francisco.


Our little Wildlife Defender...haha!


We spent some of our time in the camp doing some crafts...


I was so impressed by Maggie's concentration!  Look at these stitches!


5 years old....and she only stuck herself once :)


The critters in this campground were very bold...coming extremely close searching the grounds for scraps.  We were ultra careful to keep everything locked away....


But even the car wasn't safe at this campground!  That was an unopened package of Nutter Butter cookies that some little creature nibbled.  We still don't know how the rascal got in and out of the car...


Maggie had made a cornhusk doll at a children's museum and decided to leave it in the nook of a tree right by our campsite for some other little girl to find... A curious Banana Slug came by to check out his new neighbor.

....and you just can't take a coastal trip without visiting lots of beaches!  Here's the start of a Sandcastle Fort in Santa Cruz...

We continued up the coast to visit a spot I've been excited to get back to!  Glass Beach in Fort Bragg...


This is where I collect all the sea glass I use for my handmade hair accessories.


Maggie played with seaweed and splashed around while Jim and I scoured the sand for treasure...


Here's what wet glass shimmering in the sun looks like close up....


As you can see, most of what you'll find are clear/white pieces, with brown being 2nd...greens are a distant 3rd with soft blue-green being scarcer.

Pink and blue glass (the blue you see in this pic is mussel shell) are the rarest of all here, and I actually managed to find a few pieces :)  Intermingled with these are broken pottery, the occasional milk glass or jadeite glass pieces and shiny shells.  I've started a few new hair clips, I promise to show you soon!


When we were back at camp, we'd take walks and explore the woods around us....
I'd look for places with what I like to call "fairy holes" in the trees....where fairies (and children) might like to play...

....and appreciate the beauty we found everywhere....


Flora and Fauna alike....



We stopped at a little town called Ferndale.... a favorite place to see charming houses...


...and be awed by one of the most beautiful cemetaries I've ever seen....


Maggie had never been to one and asked us if we could go in.  She wanted us to read the names as we passed each marker....  I think we all felt a little closer, a little humbler while walking hand in hand through this serene place to the top of the hill...


...and as we took in the view from the top, we held eachother a little tighter....


Life is truly a journey...and an amazing gift...

I'm so lucky to be here with a family that I love beyond measure....and to be able to share a part of my life here with you...
Kindred spirits....

I'll leave you now to absorb....
Then pounce on you again with more pictures...heehee...haahaa!

So glad to be back,
Cam












Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Ta Ta for Now!

My Dear Bloggy Friends!

How I will miss you!  We leave for our vacation tomorrow morning...
A month of this....

....a lot of packing and unpacking....long stretches of driving and longer treks to the porto-pots ;-P

...but a lifetime of memories for one adventurous Little Girl :)


We'll be back before you know it....with 100's of vacation photos to share...heehee!
Just warning you now!

Hope your July is filled with family, fun and laughter...
I'll be talking to you soon :D

The forest beckons,
Cam

Friday, July 1, 2011

Mad Sea Party Winner!

Hello My Favorite Blog Friends!!!

I want to thank everyone for their kind compliments regarding our Summer Haircuts and well-wishes for a wonderful vacation!!! You are truly sweet...and so special to me!

Well, on to the business at hand....heehee!
I told you I would try to come up with some entertaining way to choose my winner....


...it all starts with tiny little orbs of rubber....
...filled to capacity with cold water....


....74 numbers placed randomly on the hard concrete....


...and a little girl...

You see where we're headed here, right...haha?!
The plan was to have her throw the balloon, it would hit the ground, splash on a number.....done!

Well.....


After quite a few throws like this.....


Who knew they would bounce so much?!
.....lots of balloon pieces to pick up off the dirt....
8 more balloons filled...
...and all attempts to stay dry on my part failing due to back spray, popping while filling and other hose mishaps.... 

We finally....


Got our winner!


There was water everywhere....so we picked the one that the balloon piece landed in!
#70

That's Sarah
@ Hyacinths for the Souls!

Congrats!

I'll contact you to get this clip sent out to you right away :)

I appreciate you all so much!  Thank you for entering my little giveaways and for joining me on my Bloggy Adventure!  You're the best...really...makes me want to hit you all with water balloons!

Well, you know what I mean...haha!

Sending some Fun in the Sun your way,
Cameron (and Maggie)


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