A get away at Crystal Cove

We were invited down to Crystal Cove with Chris and Linda last week. Chris had managed to get the handicapped cottage on the beach and invited us! It was so wonderful to be able to go and bring Jennifer and Chloe(certified service dog) with us. There aren't too many beaches that can accommodate a wheelchair and disabled person, we were so excited!

 It was supposed to be the coldest day of the year and it was but during the day the sun warmed the sand and air enough for us to walk along the beach and enjoy the beautiful, clear sunny days together. The cottage even comes with a handicapped beach wheelchair which allowed Randy to get Jennifer out near the water along the coast so she could go with us on our walks. Chloe has never been to the beach and was so interested in all the birds along the shore line.

The nights would drop into the 30's which sent us all inside where we ate and played games at night. It stayed nice and warm inside even with the wind blowing outside.

A few friends have started a new thing this year, we are taking time to write everyday. It is really outside my box since I really write with paint but I am enjoying it so far. We are following the writing prompts in this book.

Linda and I both took time to write while looking out the huge picture window onto ocean waves from the cottage while we were there. It was a wonderful few days with some great friends. What a blessing to be able to get away and just be renewed. Inside the cabin was a journal, put there for each person who stays in the cottage to write inside, I spent an hour the morning we left writing about our great visit!

Newport Dunes

We just got back from a few days in Newport Beach. The other kids camped at Newport Dunes and we got a handicapped room at the Hyatt across the street. OH MY, life is rough! As they were slaving over a hot stove in their toy haulers, I was ordering hummus and roasted vegetables. As they were playing UNO, I was playing shuffleboard. We spend Thursday night at the pool with them and Friday we all played UNO before we dressed for a wonderful buffet dinner and the jazz festival. It was so great to have that time with all the kids. I took a ton of beautiful pictures but they accidentally got erased since I can't figure out how to protect some and erase others. Ahhhh So unfortunately you are stuck seeing my lack luster sketches. It was a wonderful, relaxing few days that we all needed. We even took time to go to Sterling Art Store and Rogers Gardens. It was great! Since my post is lacking photos I included lots of links!! Oh I sketched another smoking man, his hand is a bit wonky but he was quite an interesting subject.

Earthquake update: Many of you know that we experienced a fairly moderate earthquake last week. We were only about 5 miles from the epicenter when it hit. The whole area rolled for about 30 seconds. It was very unsettling! I was born and raised here and still hate those things. Jenn and I were eating lunch outside of the rehab hospitals cafeteria when it hit. We were sitting next to the fountain which I feared might topple over, instead it just sloshed lots of water over its edges. It was really amazing as we sat there and watched all around us, everything seemed to move and sway, the palm trees, lights, buildings, street signs. Lots of nurses and doctors ran outside to see if there was damage, and everyone lost their cell coverage for awhile. I happened to be talking to Randy when it hit, he didn't feel it until several seconds later since he was in Laguna Beach. We all dread the "Big One" that is supposed to hit so we never know if this could be the one when the shaking starts. There was some damage but noone got hurt, thank God!