The Mossy Magic of Garland Ranch

Just 10 minutes from our lodge was the Garland Ranch Regional Park, 4400 acres of mossy sprawling greens.



All along the trails gnarled trees arched accross our path, a shady canopy of green.




Moss was everywhere--crawling on the tree trunks and hanging from the branches.



This shot makes me think of meeting loved ones who've already crossed over. I'll see you in my dreams...

Pebble Beachy Keen

Glorious Pebble Beach along the 17 Mile Drive offered breathtaking scenes of soft sand and pastel surf.


This is one of my favorite shots--very abstract. I'm thinking about blowing it up to hang in the living room, bare canvas-style.


Another contender for living-room-main-artpiece.


Glad I got this shot where the sun burst through the haze suddenly.


M is all about the action shot. He made me stand closer and closer until I finally couldn't outrun the waves and my jeans were soaked!


I loved the soft smoothness eroded into every object.


Who can resist leaving the quintessential ephemeral testament in fleeting sands?

Glorious Point Lobos

Our hikes along the coastal trails in Point Lobos State Reserve were crammed with breathtaking beauty and majestic vistas.


Looking at my palsied shots, I marvelled to myself over and over again, "How exquisite is the human eye--no camera can capture even a hundredth of the wonders the eye can see!"










Along the way, we also delighted in the little things--modest sprays of wild flowers and...


very bold squirrels!

At Play in the Land of Lexuses

This week I did something a little risky. Something M and I haven't done in 5 years. I/we went on vacation!

With the economy whirling down the toilet and colleagues in my field being laid off like weeds sprayed with pesticide, I decided, nevertheless, to take a break. My firm's vacation policy is "use it or loose it" so I thought, what the heck, I'll use some of it.

And it was fabulous. We basically cobbled together several gift packages and discounts and booked a room at a fabulous resort lodge in Carmel Valley. It was one of those hoity-toity upper-crusty blue-blood places where the 24-hour valet attendant constantly wants to carry things for you and the guests all wear Brooks Brother khakis while driving their Lexuses. Ew.


But the rooms weren't half bad...and they did greet us with a glass of house wine from their own vineyard--an amazingly delicious (I don't even like wine) sauvignon blanc.


The food pantry and mini-bar were entirely FREE! The attendant said "complimentary" and I was like, "You mean free? All the food in the mini-fridge is free?!" I felt like such a hick.


I loved the ginormous bathroom with the double-person tub. I made good use of it too!


Check out the complimentary bath salt and loofah sponge! Heck yeah.


Loved the sweet roses and fresh fruit decorating the room.


One of my favorite features--a blazing fire to cozy up the chilly nights.


The outside was just as nice as the inside. Spacious greens and beautiful landscaping adorned the rustic vineyard style buildings.


Had fun playing croquet and bocce ball on their greens--for the record I sucked way more than M.


Took a dip in their warming pool--it was probably 15 degrees warmer than their regular swimming pool, very nice!


But despite the fabulous accomodations, it was what we did outside of the lodge that really made the trip unforgettable. To be continued...

Cheapies: Checks Please!

Gingham checks, that is.

Nothing says Summertime preppy like some fresh gingham checks. But forget paying $90 for some Brooks Brothers duds--these Cheapies will have you covered in checks, and still happy to foot the bill.

First, for something work appropriate, these well-structured button downs are good for the office and the weekend.

The Limited, $30.

Norma Kamali for Walmart, $15.

These other shirts come in great colors and paired with denim cutoffs--they're the epitome of Summer.

Old Navy, $30.

Forever 21, $14.

Forever 21, $20.

And when you can't be bothered to wear more than one thing at a time, this buffalo check shirt dress is just the thing to get you out the door.

Delia's, $45.

Who Wants to Date a Millionaire?

Patti Stanger from Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker is part Yenta, part Heidi Fleiss. And you definitely have to pay to play.


Watching her show is like getting a crash course on evoluationary biology at its finest. The men must be millionaires and the women must be hot, perfect 10's--beauty, brains, and sweet as a midwesterner fresh off the bus.

But apparently, money isn't enough. The guys ALSO have to be good-looking and young enough to get the women at the top of their wishlist. It's fascinating to see the trade-offs that inevitably play out match after match.

If he's older than 46, he can't get a girl younger than 32. If he's only average looking, he can't get the 9 and 10 girls. If he likes to party (and owns an adult online store), he's not going to get the nice girl that wants to settle down.

It's hilarious watching Patti mercilessly cut a guy down to size and give him the "tough love" straight-up truth to deflate his outsize expectations and make a realistic match. She doesn't mince words and gets right down to business, using the p-word so much that most guys start to blush.

But she's dead on. She knows how the social darwinian game is played and she knows exactly what you can and can't get with the limited resources you have.

But what about beauty and the beast? Where's the love that doesn't care about outward trappings and just looks at person's "heart"? It's a fairytale people.

The reality is the law of the jungle--survival of the hottest and richest, with a dash of decency.