The Chicken Festival in San Juan Bautista

Another one of my favorite places on earth is San Juan Bautista, California! There is something about this place that feels magical. It's back in the hills on the way to the coast of Monterey and is the home of the old mission San Juan Bautista on the El Camino Real. A few weeks ago they had their annual "Chicken Festival" to celebrate the chickens and roosters that freely roam the streets of the town.
It was a beautiful day! I definitely got my arts and crafts fix with all of the super cool booths! One of the most gorgeous booths was that of my online pal Heather Bluhm Simpson. It was great to finally see her in person after so many years of communicating online. Her booth was truly the most beatiful and creative of the entire festival!

And... I can't go to San Juan Bautista without visiting the old Mission! So much history there!

Entrance to the mission with the beautiful old bell that hangs overhead. You can really feel the history and the spirits of those who lived here long ago but mostly I feel God's Holy Spirit here.


The gift shop in the mission is really cool. I love the old religious art and artifacts.

Don't you just love the patina turquoise color of this old door panel from the mission? Someday I want to paint the outside of my house this color! Love it! Wouldn't my neighbors love it! lol! Maybe I'll move to San Juan Bautista... I wish!

Life's Twists and Turns.

My life has drastically changed in the last few months! Even though it's very scary, I know it's for the better. Here's just a glimpse of what's been happening.... husband (so called husband) left after 22 years of marriage... been coming for a long time. Started a new "day job" in a new industry (medical) after many years of being a stay at home mom. Moved twice in one year, ugh! Had to close my little art studio due to finances with all this crazy stuff happening. Anyway... que cera, cera whatever will be, will be. I've been taking many trips to the ocean lately. Thank God it's only about a half hour drive from my house. This picture was taken at Moss Landing on the way to Monterey, in back of Phil's seafood restaurant. It's one of my favorite places on earth! This was a particularly chilly day as the season is now becoming fall. It was so accelerating with the cool sea air and the ocean spray. I can't help but think about how many people through the ages of time have stood in this spot and enjoyed God's creation just as I have on this day! Ahhhh. After taking this picture I proceeded to go into the restaurant and enjoy a bucket of steamed clams and chowder in a bread bowl and a wonderful glass of vino! Life is beautiful and getting better all the time!

Have to Brag a Little!

I'm so proud of my very talented son, Carson (he's the tall one on the left). He fronts he own reggae/ska/surf rock band called "Find Your Roots". He just turned 21 in January so he is able to book gigs in the clubs now. His first club performance was last Thursday at Legends Bar and Grill here in Morgan Hill. They sounded fantastic and did a very professional job.

There was quite a turn out for a Thursday night and the audience stayed engaged the entire evening, which you don't see that often in a club environment. It actually seemed more like a concert event! Anyway congrats to Carson (lead vocals & guitar), Josh (vocals & bass) and Ian, their new awesome drummer! You guys rocked the house!!!

The Wine Stroll

This past Saturday my town, Morgan Hill, CA. had what they call a "Wine Stroll". It was an event meant to get people downtown and into the shops. Each shop had a different local winery that would pour a taste of wine. There were 15 local wineries represented. People met at the old Granada theater in the heart of downtown and received a wine glass and a punch card with a map on it. Then they could stroll around from shop to shop wine tasting and shopping!

I decided to take advantage of the event by making a display table for my studio and handing out fliers for my classes, etc... It was a great success. I spoke to many, many people who had no idea that my studio even existed. Hopefully I will get some business out of it! We'll see!

Hangin' with my Bro!

Yesterday my sweet brother took my out for a marvelous lunch at Ragoots! It was such a beautiful day so we sat out on the patio watching the people stroll by. The food at Ragoots is delicious. I had an Asian chicken salad and he had Tuscan Linguini! It was very special because I don't get to go out to eat very often. I've been suffering from that ancient Italian disease... "ma-funds-are-low"! Anyway I really appreciate my brother taking me out! He is my bestest friend! Love his cool new hat too! xoxo Danny!

P.S. I'm growing my hair (needed a change) and it's driving me crazy right now. It's in that ugly middle phase between short and long. I just need to hang in there a few more months but can I do it? I don't know. And will I even be glad I did? Okay I'm committed. Only going to grow it to my shoulders with lots of layers. We'll see...

Missing my Sweet Pepper Today

I'm missing my dear sweet Pepper dog today. Poor old girl. We had to put her to "sleep" a few week ago, ugh, so sad. She was 14 years old so that's 98 years old in people years. She was half German Shepard and half Siberian Husky. She could barely walk anymore because of arthritis and she had many other ailments so it was time for her to go to that great doggy park in the sky. It was a lot harder for me to let her go than I thought. I haven't even been able to blog about it until now and it's been about three weeks. It helps that we moved to another house so at least I'm not picturing her laying by the door looking out as she used to do so often. I'm picturing her up in heaven running around pain free with my grandma and grandpa taking good care of her. I love you old Pep! Thanks for being my son's best friend as he was growing up and being our family's faithful watch dog! "Free Dog" at last!

My Sister Came for a Visit!

My sister Toni (right) came to visit me from Arizona. We had so much fun! Actually, probably a little too much fun a couple of times! I hadn't seen her in about two years! It's always so fun hanging out with her and staying up till the wee hours of the morning (4:00am) having "girl talk"!. This was the first day she was here. She took me out to lunch at Ragoots here in Morgan Hill. It was so yummy! Thanks Toni! I miss you lots! I wish we lived by each other. Hey, we forgot to play the humming game!

P.S. Why do I look so happy in this picture? Because I just ate a fantastic Reuben and had some awesome Pinot Grigio! Ahhhh!

My Sidewalk Sign!

This is my new sidewalk sign! It looks a lot cooler in person because it has sparkles on it that don't really show up in the picture. The other side of the sign is basically the same. I wanted to make the sign very visible with the lettering and also have it represent the type of art I do. I can now put this outside on the sidewalk when I'm open to try and draw people upstairs to my studio to make a project or just get some information. Yay! I'm very happy with it!

Finally... My First Art Journal Pages!

Wow, I didn't know it would be so hard getting started on my art journal. I finally did the first two pages! Now I think I'll be on a role because I'm thinking of lots of ideas to journal about! Yay! My sister Elizabeth's art journal is such an inspiration to me! Getting started was the hardest part but now I'm excited! Every "artist" should do one of these! Now I need to write some of my thoughts on these pages. hmmmm.