Vintage Romantic Author
Well, I can wish, can’t I? Here she is, the last of my arch-enemies for 2023. They say mosquitoes are especially bad in So Cal this year because of Hurricane Hillary. I don’t know if that’s true or not. Every year is a bad mosquito year for me. I’m like a mosquito magnet. I’m starting …
Since our plane didn’t leave until later in the day, Ken and Carol drove us around a beautiful neighborhood before we stopped at—ta-da-da-da—a quilt shop. It was fabulous. Marietta’s was so close and had the best reviews of any quilt shops around—and there were a lot in the Greenville area. Marietta’s had a decent amount …
Literally, the moment I finished wrapping my last present, The Hallelujah Chorus started playing from my music list! I actually enjoyed wrapping this year—no gift bags, all boxes with coordinated red and white paper and ribbons. It was the fact I was ready for Christmas with that last gift that made the music so appropriate. …
Who is Dudley, you might ask. It’s not a name you hear much anymore. I don’t know if this is a common problem with crafters, but I tend to start projects and abandon them. Such is the case with Dudley Butterball. One of the truly nice things about home renovation is that everything gets cleaned …
Don’t miss the beginnings of our trip to be found here: Part One and Part Two Pretty much my whole life, I have tootled right by the minute town of Harmony, just south of Cambria. We decided to stop and take a look this trip. It’s definitely a tiny place. This is the pottery, where …
We’ve made a habit of meeting up with friends in Cambria through the years. In fact, we journeyed there during the first summer of Covid. We found plenty to do and dined in the street and parking lots. But state parks were closed then and we were anxious to tour Hearst Castle. Once parks opened, …
The delights of home improvement simply cannot be fully enjoyed until the project is finished. And if you’re the type who doesn’t actually finish, it can, indeed, be a nightmare. I always find it exciting to start a project and especially enjoy any shopping involved. We decided to put the same vinyl plank in our …
Road trips have been all too rare lately, but my friend Betty and I took off for Carpinteria, a small beach town south of Santa Barbara. If I were rich, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a quaint little 1900s-era house blocks from the Pacific in Carpinteria. In my imagination, there would be nightly walks along …
I remember the good old days when it was easy to find a nearby, quirky, fun store. Collectibles have become passe. People aren’t decorating their homes for holidays as they once did. All my eccentric little stores have fallen by the wayside. Even Barbara Cheatley’s went out of business last year. It seems antique stores …
Let’s take another trip down the 126, my favorite route. It wasn’t about antiques or history this time, though. First stop was Cracker Barrel in Camarillo. It never ceases to amaze me, how cool, even wintery it can be at the beach when we are sizzling 40 miles away. After a great breakfast, I managed …