Simplification

channelled whelk

"How do I remain whole in the midst of distractions of life?  How do I remain balanced, no matter what centrifugal forces tend to pull one off center; how to remain strong, no matter what shocks come in at the periphery and tend to crack the hub of the wheel?  There is no easy answer.  I only have clues, shells from the sea.  The bare beauty of a channelled whelk tell me that one answer is simplification of life.  One learns from the beach how to be simple." Anne Morrow Lindbergh,  "Gift from the Sea"

La Jolla

Sandpipers

follow a trail

Islands in a common sea

pelicans on La Jolla bluff

"How wonderful are islands!  Islands in space, like this one I have come to, ringed about by miles of water, linked by no bridges, no cables no telephones....The past and the future are cut off: only the present remains...One lives like a child or a saint in the immediacy of here and now....I feel we are all islands ----in a common sea."
Anne Morrow Lindbergh,  "Gift from the sea"

Sea lions on the beach

girl on Santa Barbara pier

La Jolla

IMG_0227, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Yesterday I went to La Jolla for a book signing by Frances Mayes, author of "Under the Tuscan Sun" and just released: "Every day in Tuscany". I have read the first of her books about her home in Italy but this trip and this book will serve as the prelude to my trip to Orvieto in May. It was a beautiful day and the drive down to San Diego is always stunning this time of year so I headed out early to enjoy my drive and to get there early without the stress of traffic. After settling in I headed down to the beach which you all know by now as my favorite place to be. As I walked along the shoreline on the road above I spotted California brown pelicans flying in formation and then landing on a local rock, not too far from where I was. I love these birds, love to watch them fly along the coast and was absolutely tickled that I had brought my camera with me.

Pelicans on the rock

IMG_0239, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

I spotted a group of them perched on a rock. Many used it as a landing rock and then took off again. These guys are gorgeous! Remember my first post? Pelicans.

Sea lion pup

IMG_0244, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

About 50 feet farther south was a refuge harbor for sea lions. About 200 call this harbor home. It is birthing season and this little guy is less than a month old. See how his coat is fur like rather than the more mature Mom near the water? This was such a great surprise to be so close to these little guys. It just goes to show you should take your camera with you>