goodbye gray days

The Weather Channel kept promising a giant rain storm. 

And there were some showers on St. Paddy's Day. But the gray is all but gone now. Which is a little sad, because Ventura really does look lovely in the gloom.

Not that I'm complaining. I love sunshine too.

Handmade Holiday Bazaar & Ballyhoo!

Little City Designs be selling our organic apparel at this heavenly handmade event in Downtown Ventura this Saturday. And there will be other talented local artisans showcasing their handmade goods. Our Bazaar is during the Winter Wine Walk, so you can sip while you shop. Click {here} for more info.

weekend wanderings

I didn't make it out of town this weekend, but I did wander a bit in my own backyard. Here are some quickies from my downtown evening meanderings.

home is where the rodeo is

We're home! Made it just in time to catch the last day of our county fair. We ate candy almonds and got sun kissed while we watched the rodeo. All in all, a very Americana Sunday.

Fair!

The rickety rides and fried food carts have started to arrive at our seaside fairgrounds. 








Oooh I just love the County Fair!

best bicycle mechanic

My man, Ian Crawford, is the best bicycle mechanic in Ventura. Maybe the world.

He's the star (and only) mechanic at a beautiful shop here in town called Non Stop Ciclismo. They specialize in all things Italian and will even make you shots of espresso while you shop.

Mr. C also looks pretty fantastic with is bike.

no place like home

Here I am, home sweet home. My spring road trip is in the rearview and, for as much fun as we had, I'm glad to be back.

Can't wait to show you the photos I collected along the way.

Out to Breakfast

I do so love going out to breakfast when Mr. C and I can find the time. We have a favorite spot, Cafe Nouveau. It's just down the street from our lil' Ventura bungalow and we can sit on the patio and eat waffles and mimosas.

Do you have a favorite breakfast spot? Is it near to your home or far and what do you always eat when you go?

rain or shine

The sun is out again here, but clouds are looming over the mountains.

These are some photos from a rainy day walk last weekend. Hope your having a perfect Saturday, rain or shine.

sunny and 70˚

Greetings from sunny Southern California. Oooh I do so love Autumn in Ventura. It has been so hot and bright here lately. It feels like summer.

Happy weekend folks. Hope you are having a bright Saturday and that there's a sunny Sunday in your near future.

{how adorable are my little God brothers in the photo above? I love those guys.}

sea treasures

I feel I have some explaining to do about why I have abandoned The Board. There are some very good reasons for my absence, but I just don't feel like talking about it.

I will tell you this though... sometimes when I'm not here, at my computer, I walk on the beach and get my bare feet wet.

When I'm alone, I collect treasure for my sweetheart.

And when I'm with my sweetheart, we collect treasures together. And we can gather twice as much. We were like sea glass pirates last Sunday.

Happy weekend friends. Hope you get to put your toes in the sand.

TOMORROW TONIGHT! Glass Elevator Benefit Show in Ventura

This is my brother's band, Glass Elevator. He's the handsome chap second from the left. This is one of my all time Glass Elevator favorites...

Fresh Air by Glass Elevator

They're on a grand tour of the West Coast called The Glass Elevator Psychic Battle Tour. They're just days away from coming down south and they will be playing an epic all ages benefit concert here in Ventura. Proceeds from the show will go to...

(1) fishermen (and women) who have been hit hard by the Gulf oil spill and...

(2) The Highschool at Moorpark College, an amazing school with amazing students

The show will be at the Center for Spiritual Living in downtown Ventura and it starts at 7p. Presale tickets are available at Buffalo Records for just $10 ($5 for kids) and you can also buy them at the door before the show.

For you Angelinos, they will be playing Saturday night in Santa Monica at The Trip. They'll also be making stops in San Fran, Santa Cruz, Nevada City, Chico and Eugene. Those wild kids will be all over the place.

For more info on The Glass Elevator Psychic Battle Tour, check out their MySpace and FaceBook pages.

faded flowers

Are there are hollyhocks left where you are?

There are a few lonely blossom still clinging onto their stocks here in Ventura.

little bit country, little bit rock 'n' roll

Mr. C and I went to the rodeo yesterday. Oooh, I just love a good rodeo.

We saw a fantastic lasso man and his adorable 8 year old son who could jump through hoops while standing atop a horse. There was also barrel racing, trick riding and rodeo clowns, among other things. I actually hated the clown. He was awful. I also didn't care for the calf roping because those little babies just look so outmatched.

I love our Ventura County Fair because it's a little taste of country for us rock and rollers.

kick off your shoes

I love Ventura this time of year, when the days are so long there's no need to rush. And bare feet are more than acceptable, they're expected.

Happy Friday friends. Hope you get to take off your shoes and bask in the sun this weekend.

{photo by me, of my own summer solstice toes at Cemetery Park}

Wishes for Kids' Art

A few blocks from the beach there's a fantastic old barn surrounded by fruit trees and pink jasmine. Every Saturday it fills up with children from preschool through high school, and together with grown up Ventura artists, these children create. They dance and paint, tell stories and make sun prints.

Kids' Art opens its barn doors to all these children for free and thus relies on fundraisers and donations. Now, like too many other valuable community programs, it's lost some of it's funding. So Little City Designs new "Making Wishes" shirt is especially for Kids' Art. It's 100% organic cotton and hand silk screened with eco-friendly water based ink. Besides being excessively stylish and undeniably comfortable, this shirt is just damn cool because half of all the profits are being donated to Kids' Art.

{click here to buy a Little City Designs shirt and to find our more about Kids' Art}

fire in the sky

Nightly fireworks are, without a doubt, my favorite part of the fair. We "ooh and aah" from our front porch as they illuminate the palm trees and telephone poles.

all's fair

We went to the Ventura County Fair on opening day.



I gazed at the painted ponies and Ian tried on a new profession.

As the sun went down and the lights went on, we made our way to the motor sports...

... and cheered for our favorite demo derby drivers.

Then, of course, it was down the midway. Oooh, I just love a nighttime midway, with it's bright bulbs and musical screams.

Ready, Set, Go Again!

We arrived home Saturday after midnight (so technically Sunday) and were on the road again by Thursday. Now we find ourselves looking out our hotel window at that gates of San Francisco's China Town. I'm so glad we took our friend Tanya's advice and decided to take a breath of the fresh sea air some where in our own downtown before we left again. It was even her idea to wear the giant sunnies.

Tomorrow will be our one year anniversary. Any ideas of what we should do in the city? We're up for (almost) any kind of adventure.