PETALUMA, CA

Petaluma, CA.  I am sighing as I write the words out, it was so magnificent that I find it hard to articulate. Words like charming, quaint and bucolic come to mind, but if you keep driving you might meet the ocean and call it majestic, beautiful or better yet God’s Country.  I wanted to find a realtor stat and not even venture North to Portland.  The California Coast had me at sheep, worn barns and ocean. Did I mention the ocean? I read that Petaluma has more antique dealers per capita than anywhere else in the United States (maybe the world?), it really did not disappoint, for what I read finally was truth. Darn internet with it’s falsities, raising hopes and smashing them equally as fast. Petaluma, well, Petaluma was just as expected, maybe even better, is that possible? I actually don’t know if I could live there, firstly it’s a little expensive for our meager budget (California real estate wise) and even though it boasts both a Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, it is a bit rural. I have after all watched quite a few horror flicks in my time and now fully regret it. I totally encourage anyone to visit, if you love nature and the idea of a treasure hunt you will be in heaven in Petaluma. I know I was.

WE’RE BACK!

This is Bella my naughty Frenchie, this is her staring at me. She did this for about, oh, 12 hours straight. She sat at my feet almost the entire road trip, rested her chin on my legs and stared. If she wasn’t so cute it would be a little weird, okay, it was a little weird. She’s a little weird. I am back, with many a story to tell and photographs to be shared. I can’t wait to blab your eyeballs off, but for now I must get to work. I have a pile of custom orders that arrived at the studio this a.m. (exactly as planned, sheesh that never happens) and I am excited to get to packing and shipping them to their new homes. I didn’t abandon my editing project, I worked on it every day, my internet was just so slow when we were away that if I tried to upload I am sure they would have finally been uploaded when we arrived back in the City of Angels four days later. Seriously, it was my only gripe to be had, that and my husband not allowing me to drive, but more about that later.  Have a happy Monday!

MMXII 56:: EDITING A PHOTO-A-DAY IN 2012::OREGON!

I have had internet woes for the past few days. I made sure that wherever we were going to lay our heads for the evening we would have wi-fi. Let me make this clear, these places did technically have wi-fi but the signal was so weak that I might as well have no wi-fi, it was like a tease, a little taste of the world at large but no dice. We are in Portland now and I must admit so far I enjoyed the ride up a little more than the city. Nothing wrong with Portland, we are going to look at houses in a couple hours, but the sheer beauty of the ride into Portland just may eclipse anything we see here. I loved all the trees, the fog, the wide expanse of land, the snow topped mountains, the air so clean and crisp. Pretty hard to compete.

I will be editing a photo a day for the remainder of 2012::Project MMXII, this is my ‘after’, you can view the ‘before’ here.

MMXII 55:: EDITING A PHOTO-A-DAY IN 2012::PETALUMA!

I am out of town and out of my mind (this place is paradise).  I have spotty internet, so a little crazy making.  I am doing my edits though, this is from a moving car with my IPhone.  The whole rolling countryside is everywhere before you come to the beach, which seemingly comes out of nowhere. This place is magical and I promise to post more photos and give you details (it’s for rent! and I highly recommend you get a group of friends or family and do it). I am sitting here looking out at a beach view (my dream) with a cup of extra strong coffee and you (well my laptop).  I have to leave  you for now, I am going to throw on some jeans and go explore the turn of the century fishing village. Sigh.

I will be editing a photo a day for the remainder of 2012::Project MMXII, this is my ‘after’, you can view the ‘before’ here.

MMXII 54:: EDITING A PHOTO-A-DAY IN 2012::BEACH BOUND!

I am finding it hard to concentrate because I am equal parts excited and equal parts irritated. I am excited to be leaving for a weekend at a beach house in Northern California to meet some blog friends in real life and dole out bear hugs to, although maybe bear hugs aren’t cool. I want to be a little cool. I am so not cool. I am also irritated, literally, well my eyeballs are. When I get super stressed out, which is what I was today packing, laundering, meeting clients and packing some more (I am going to Portland right after Nor Cal so two sets of packing), rushing to shoot for class, edit my edit (sounds like a repeat of the other day.) When I get stressed my eyes start to get really itchy and swell and so do my cheeks. It’s so attractive if you think Quasimodo is attractive. So, not only am I going to meet people I admire for the first time with my square hair, now I have this weird swollen face to contend with. Words can not describe my feelings right now, really, I am at a loss.  I can’t believe I get to be around people, not only that people around my same age and that know what a blog is! Try explaining a blog to most people you’ll get, ‘A blob? You write a blob? A bloog? brog? bog?’ It’s futile. This is exciting, now let’s hope that there won’t be much photographing of the swollen girl, I certainly don’t want photos of my twisted eyeballs floating around the internet.

I will be editing a photo a day for the remainder of 2012::Project MMXII, this is my ‘after’, you can view the ‘before’ here.

P.S. I am almost finished reading through all the comments on the Luxe Correspondence Giveaway, as soon as I sit down tomorrow while I am at the beach house watching the tides roll in, with my frozen toes in the sand (it’s going to be 30 degrees) I will announce the winner! Read more…