As you know, in Phoenix, it is nearly impossible to do anything outside due to the summer heat. During our recent trip to California, I could not wait to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful temperate climate and the sweet ocean breezes.

I was born and raise on the East Coast and I believe that each ocean has its own smell. The Pacific has a more subtle fragrance~~an intoxicating combination of salt and sand and less moist than the Atlantic.

My husband and I took a long, circuitous walk to the beach~~exploring the hotel property and capturing pictures of the various flowers and foliage.

The shots of the beach are from Crystal Cove State Park, one of my favorite beaches (and featured in the movie, Treasure Island 1918 and Beaches 1988). The resort is Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas.

Usually, within 3 days of being near the ocean, I begin to finally relax. But this year, it’s not happening as quickly as I would like.  I’ve tried exercising, staring at the ocean, appreciating each and every flower I see, but I cannot seem to settle in. I’m not sure why but I am hoping that writing this blog post will help sort out some of the cobwebs.

The property is beautifully landscaped, with an abundance of flowers, textures and colors.

There are many places to sit and enjoy the view.

Nestled in a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the resort is designed like a Mediterranean villa.  There are numerous fountains and abundance of tiled roofs.

This is the view from the main lobby overlooking one of three pools on the property.

They have fountains and ponds with Koi fish and lily pads.

We have been coming here nearly every summer for the last several years.  The children bring friends and love the proximity of the beach.  It is such a beautiful place!

It is hard to believe the last few days of summer are wrapping up.  School begins SO early in Phoenix~~August 7th.  No one is looking forward to the end of summer and the beginning of the back to school routine, but it happens every year.

Life goes on, doesn’t it?

Each year we visit the Pacific Ocean for our family vacation. This trip is especially exciting for me as I love being by the water.

Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas offers a Canvas Art Event, a class where you paint step-by-step with an artist.  Since we live in the desert, I enjoy this event because we get the opportunity to paint a local seascape. Last year I attend this class by myself with a certain amount of trepidation.  There is no experience necessary and all ages are welcomed.  After the 2 hour class, I so enjoyed taking home a keepsake from our vacation.  Here’s is what I painted last summer, called Heisler Park, a setting in Laguna Beach, CA.

This year, I convinced my 2 daughters and their friends to take the class with me.  There was a bit of hemming and hawing, but you can’t learn to paint if you don’t try, right? The class was held in a light-filled room overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which, in and of itself, was inspirational.

The painting, entitled “Sailing to Catalina” was our topic.  Here is the teacher’s version for us to emulate.

The class was $35.00 per person and included a prepared 11″x14″ canvas, the brushes, acrylic paints, supplies and instruction.  The largest brush has inch markers on the handle which we used to determine our horizon line.

The instructor told us which paints and quantities to use.  The sky, for example, was 2 parts white to one part blue.

We then used the white paint to create the clouds.

Next we added Catalina Island in the distance and added various quantities of white paint to the darker purple to add dimension to the rock.

The painting of the beach came next.

We used different shades of blue and green for the ocean.

Added waves, and then the greenery in the foreground, as well as the sailboat.

Added the finishing touches of the flowers in the foreground~~ a quick 2 hours! Our instructor, Jessica Byrne, traveled the room, lending her artistic feedback and helping each of us with our paintings.

My daughter, Julianna, decided to add a character (Patrick Star) to her painting!

Everyone was happy they attended and we each had our own artistic style!

This was a fun family experience! If you haven’t painted before, taking a group class and doing it alongside an artist is a great place to start. This particular company, Painterly Events, also provides private, corporate events and plein air (outdoors on location) classes.  What a fun way to gather a group of friends/family and share in an artistic experience.

Now I am off to enjoy the ocean! Happy Saturday!

Last week, I spent 3 days deep cleaning our little vacation rental cabin in the mountains. In January, my property manager/cleaning couple quit.  For years, I had so heavily relied on them to manage the cabin’s maintenance issues as the geographical distance (a 3 1/2 hour drive) precluded me from doing it myself. And now they were gone.  Sigh.

Our cabin was purchased by my husband long before he and I met. He co-owned it with a life-long friend and several years ago, we bought out his interest (as he invested in a bigger cabin for his family).  We have had it as a vacation rental from Memorial Day to November for the last few years.

When the children were little, we used the cabin more frequently.  At that time there was no television, no internet, just board games and forest explorations.  It was quintessential family time which lasted until the children got older. Enter sports, other interests, friends, etc. and we seemed to use this cabin less and less.

We have kicked around the idea of selling it, but since the recession second homes sales have stagnated over the last few years.  So instead of it just sitting there, it is now a sweet vacation rental.

So back to my current dilemma~~getting the cabin ready for our summer visitors without the help of my dynamic duo.

So with slumped shoulders and a downtrodden spirit, I made the long, albeit beautiful drive up to the White Mountains of Arizona. Who among us looks forward to deep cleaning?  Not I! But, I am not one to wallow in self pity for long so I carved out 3 days to tackle the opening and cleaning of the cabin.

It was FREEZING in the mountains….well, freezing for me.  A low of 39 degrees and a high of 60 with strong winds the entire time.  The cabin doesn’t have central heat, but it does have a few wall heaters and numerous space heaters.  But after being closed up for 5 months, it would take some doing to get the inside warm.  On the plus side, I did get to wear scarves and jackets again~~such a treat with the hot Phoenix summer just around the corner.

The deep cleaning included taking down all the curtains~~washing, drying and ironing….Scrubbing the oven (doesn’t self clean) and the outdoor gas grill~~gross and greasy; pulling out the refrigerator and washing the floor~~disinfecting all bathrooms, wiping out all cabinets, drawers and reorganizing the kitchen.  Cleaning out all closets, ironing duvet covers, window washing, carpet and upholstery cleaning (by a professional thank goodness) and general polishing.  And finally we replaced the old water heater.

By the end of the 3 days, I was physically exhausted but spiritually elated.  Losing my management couple almost felt like a blessing in disguise.  Touching every square inch of this cabin reminded me why we have kept this property in our family for all these years.  The cabin and I reconnected.

The cabin is on .8 of an acre of Ponderosa pine forest.  The view from the kitchen overlooks the large back deck and into the woods.  It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and sleeps 8 and is charming and cozy.

The master bedroom is the largest with a queen bed and a set of bunk beds and two seating areas.

The upstairs bedroom, which we refer to as the “loft”, has two twin beds and a “secret” room filled with stuffed animals, toys and Legos.

Two years ago we broke down and put in cable and internet, as our vacation guests wanted to remain technologically connected. But the best part of this cabin is its location. Being part of the White Mountain Summer Homes, it is gated and safe, yet private.  There is great biking, hiking, fishing and golfing….and of course, forest exploration.  It is not uncommon to see wild horses, elk, deer and bear in this area.

So in spite of my original internal whining, the cleaning trip to the mountains was a personal success.  Now our cabin is sparkling clean and ready to create vacation memories for our guests. And I’ve fallen in love with it all over again.

Maybe it’s time to sell it if the right offer or family came by.  But in the meantime, we will continue to cherish it and all its memories. If you would like more information on this cabin, please visit this link at vrbo

Have a wonderful Saturday!

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My husband and I made a very quick overnight trip to Bella Terra North, our cabin in the White Mountains of Arizona.  We have never been that couple who gaze into each others eyes, sit face-to-face and have lengthy conversations.  We are both very busy, but when we do talk, we are more of what I would call “side-by-side” communicators.  You know what I mean, right? So long car trips provide the necessary space for us to catch up with each other.

We arrived after dark and the chilly cabin called for a roaring fire.  Curled up under a blanket, watching the flames and settling into the stillness of the night, I could feel the tension from the week melting away.

The next morning I woke up slightly after sunrise and got my first glimpse of the beautiful fall foliage.  There is an aspen tree right outside our master bedroom and the way the sun highlighted the brilliant yellow against the cobalt blue sky was stunning.   Even my old iPhone with its cracked screen was able to capture nature’s beauty.

Since this was a one night trip we had no food in the refrigerator and went out to breakfast at La Vie Marketplace and Cafe.  It was a stunning morning and for some reason, I feel different up here.  The mountain air seems to be much cleaner and sweeter to me.  I felt very happy and then, being at this stylish, well-designed restaurant, elevated my spirits even more.  I wanted to order nearly everything on the menu.

Look at those quiches!  I selected the Greek quiche which was filled with creamy goat cheese, Roma tomatoes, spinach and artichoke hearts.  My husband ordered the spinach and turkey one, plus we ordered their muesli which was chock full of shredded coconut, almonds and fresh berries.  Thank goodness for To-Go boxes.

Even the flower arrangement on the table was adorable.  Since this is also a marketplace, I was able to shop around as we waited for our food.

Look at this sinful coffee-it’s a Mayan Mocha that my husband ordered which I just lusted over (it would take me a month to work off the calories).

This lovely place to gather and eat was filled with items that make my heart sing.  Best of all, they carry my FAVORITE scented candle  Capri Blue Volcano.

After a very civilized breakfast, we returned to the cabin to do the tasks at hand-loading up the numerous planters of geraniums to return them to the Valley before the frost set in.  These are my “snowbird” geraniums-they spend the summer in the mountains and the winters in Phoenix.

Getting a change of scenery, just for one day was so restorative.  The mountain air, quiet time with my husband, the beautiful fall foliage, enjoying fabulous food seemed to feed my soul. I was reminded that simple pleasures are all that we need.  Slow down, be deliberate, and be thankful.   At La Vie, they have this hanging on the wall.  It was written by Maya Angelou, an American poet and I believe it captures what we all may need right now.

May your day be filled with simple pleasures.

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