ArchivesCategory: Inspiration

Back from a nice long weekend in Arizona celebrating my father’s 80th birthday with family. Even though the trip was short, it was a welcome break from the routine here at home of unpacking and arranging. Even the quiet two lane highway was relaxing compared to the overcrowded freeways of LA. The desert was so green from all the rain this summer and the cactus were fat with water. Check out this sunset shot I posted on instagram, which was taken on the way up from the desert floor into Peeple’s Valley. It was breathtaking and awe inspiring. My little camera phone doesn’t even come close to capturing all of the colors and depth of field that we saw with our good ol’ human eyes.

Here at home, the crepe myrtle tree in front of our house is showing off with this incredible lacey flash of magenta pink. It’s so rewarding to discover the plant species and cycles of this new yard.

C buried himself in the sand from the waist down. Looks so odd, doesn’t it?

I love the color of the chairs these people had.
What could be more relaxing than sitting on the beach reading?

Since we didn’t get a proper vacation this summer, I thought it would be a good idea to make several trips to the beach so we could all recharge. Zuma Beach in Malibu is one of our favorites since it’s clean and very family oriented. The other thing I like is the lack of retail surrounding the area. The kids aren’t lured away by the possibility of new sunglasses or some other unnecessary want. What do I do? Read, take naps, swim — a little (the water is usually too cold for me) and take the opportunity to do some life drawing sketches. More on that tomorrow.

Kumquats, baby grapefruit and peaches. Lots of the first two, only about a dozen of the fuzzy beauties.

So, we have moved yet again and the previous owners of our new house were diligent urban farmers. One of the crops we (and the birds) have been enjoying are these sweet little grapes, which grow out of a 2 ft x 2 ft planter (no joke). It’s on a watering system so maintenance is a breeze. The vine grows up two stories and it’s been trained to grow over the top of this slatted arbor which extends 20 ft alongside the house. We have double french doors which lead to the deck under it, and when the temps aren’t too blistering, we enjoy our meals and quiet time on the deck under the arbor. There are giant pine trees on the edge of the yard too, which the birds pirch in, giving us a unique perspective on all our winged visitors. It’s one of our favorite things about the house. More images on the house to come later this week.

A friend of mine grows these monsters in her garden and was kind enough to share one with us. It was as tasty as it was beautiful. Thanks Joanne.