Category Archives: Beauty

Lovella’s Walking Club Tally ~

Dear and I headed out again to Ventura to take our walk along Emma Wood State Beach. We started earlier than usual and the weather was more active today as a storm is blowing in. Here are a few of the many photos I took.

 

There were a lot more birds out today. We were the only humans out and about for a while until the groups of runners descended on us training for the Los Angeles Marathon.

 

On the way home we stopped at the Farmers Market in Camarillo on Ventura Blvd. We decided to buy some veggies for later. Lots of pretty flowers to look at, too. We bought a purple cauliflower, 2 huge artichokes, some brussel sprouts and a couple limes.

Have a wonderful day and keep on walking. Oh yes my totals were great this week because Willow and I walked an hour each day but Friday and I went on a hike and the beach walk too! 10,706 step average for the 6 days! I think hikes uphill should be double steps!

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Sky Watch Friday ~

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

 

This was taken at the City Hall in the City of Ventura. This is Fray Junipero Serra who founded the Mission San Buenaventura. If you are interested in seeing more photos from the Mission he founded click here. The sky was clear and blue on this Saturday.

 

This great looking tree was kitty corner from the Statue and I liked how the sky looked through the branches.

This is the tree. I’ll need to do some research to see what kind of tree it is.

For more Sky Watch Photos click here.

Wildflowers in Winter ~ Week 6

Week 6 – February 20 – 26. Wildflower Art – Share art made by you or someone else that features wildflowers.

 

I bought these two pieces at Goodwill a while back. I really was drawn to the Old Fashioned look. They are on a wall in the livingroom at my house in Washington.

 

These two tins that I enjoy have a cross-stitch looking design on them.
~
To see more Wildflower Art go visit Elizabeth Joy at Wildflower Mornings.
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

TT #22 ~ Mission San Buenaventura 1782

   On President’s Day I drove up to Ventura to do some thrift store shopping and I took a side trip to the Mission by the Sea. Here are 13 or more Photos from the mission. There are 21 California Missions and this Mission was the 9th Mission founded.

The founding of San Buenaventura Mission was foreshadowed well over two centuries ago on the Spanish isle of Mallorca, when a devout Franciscan priest, who was a brilliant scholar and professor of theology, earnestly prayed that he might be permitted to forsake his comfortable circumstances to take up the Lord’s work among the aborigines in the New World. The hoped-for answer to his prayers came on Palm Sunday, March 30, 1749.

Thirty-three years and one day later the zealous priest, Fray Junipero Serra- who had been subjected to painful sufferings and several brushes with death during his missionary ministry – raised the Cross at “la playa de la canal de Santa Barbara” (the beach of the Santa Barbara Channel) on Easter Morning, March 31, 1782. Assisted by Padre Pedro Benito Cambon, he celebrated a High Mass, preached on the Resurrection, and dedicated a Mission to San Buenaventura (St. Bonaventure). It had been planned as the third in the chain of twenty-one Missions founded by Padre Serra but was destined to be the ninth and last founded during his lifetime, and one of six he personally dedicated.

 

The Department of the Interior certified this Mission as a Historic Building and gave it permanent reference in the Library of Congress.

 

The front door to the Mission Chapel and Fray Junipero Serra

 

An antique confessional and other artifacts in the mission museum

 

The mission grounds and side door to the chapel

 

Inside the chapel

 

More photos from the grounds…

 

 

For more Thursday Thirteen click here.

ht: Information from Mission Brochure

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

ABC Wednesday ~ E is for…

E is for…

This is a sitting room in a Model Home in our neighborhood. I was tempted to nab the pillow with my initial on it but I controlled myself and resisted my Evil side…

 Ellen b. and one of our favorite Saturday walks at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura, California.

 

E is for the Ebb of the tide

 

E is for Edinburgh

Dear and Ellen B. in Edinburgh

 

the elephant house in Edinburgh

 

An Epitaph for J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife in Oxford, England.

For more ABC Wednesday photos head over to Mrs. Nesbitt.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

A Hike Yikes and My weigh-in!

Please Scroll Down for Fun Monday… 

It’s Monday morning weigh-in time. After my .3 gain last week I’m down .1 this week. I’m still clinging to the hope and the encouragement that this is an activity level and eating plan I can stick to for the long haul and I’ll decide after 6 months if it’s working well. I’m not doing anything drastic in a diet plan, just eating less and not eating after meals, etc. With this effort I think the numbers are going to change gradually and not drastically. So as they say “time will tell”. In the meantime I am always happy not to have put on an extra 5 pounds…

I have some photos from a hike I took yesterday with someone I met at church last week. She invited me to go on a hike with her and another gal and I said yes. I generally walk on mostly flat surfaces but this was a feel new muscles hike for sure. Here are some sites I saw during my 9394 steps…

 

This hike was in the Santa Monica Mountains whose north western boundary ends in my own front yard. We went on the Satwiwa short hike up to some falls.

 

The Santa Monica Mountains are 10 miles across at their widest spot and 50 miles long from Griffith Park to Point Mugu. We really have some amazing places to walk and hike during our stay here in Southern California. We are more and more thankful for the area we live in.  Poison oak grows well here, too, so it’s good to be aware of the danger it poses. Some people (like our oldest son) react quite violently when they come in contact with it. I decided to take a photo to make sure I recognize it.

 

Because of all our rains and snow in Southern California this year there is more water in the creeks and streams. It is refreshing to come upon this site on a hot uphill hike.

 

This is what you are treated to at the end of this trail.

 

The view on the way back to the trail head.

Have a wonderful Monday and week. Keep on walking…

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Lovella’s Walking Club Tally ~ 11,083 Steps

Time again for our early morning Saturday walk at Emma Wood. We took a new trail this week and took a closer look at the Flora and Fauna along the way.

 

Sitting already.  The waves were crashing and giving off wonderful spray again today.

 

I found this wonderful book at the Friends of The Library in Camarillo for $3.00 and it shows among other areas the flowering plants of the coastel region. Here’s some of what we found today.

 

Sea Fig and Hottentot Fig

 

We’re still working on identifying these two.

 

We saw this pod on a Eucalyptus tree and then this bloom that we guess comes from it.

 

After our walk we walked some more along Main Street in Ventura. We went to some used bookstores and some thrift stores and I’ll show you our “finds” at the end of the post. But first we decided to refresh ourselves at Anacapa Brewing Co.

Good ole Queen Victoria said “Give my People plenty of Beer, good beer and cheap beer, and you will have no Revolution among them”

 

We decided on the brewed on premises IPA and lo and behold we aren’t joining any revolutions today!

We split a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw and some North Jetty Fries (fries with fresh garlic, rosemary, and Parmesan cheese) We’ll be tasting garlic and rosemary for the rest of the day!

 

After lunch we walked uphill to see the Statue of Father Junipero Serra at the Ventura City Hall. He founded 9 missions in California, including his last and most cherished, Mission San Buenaventura in 1782. He died in 1784. One of these days we’ll take a side trip to the Mission down the street.

The first elementary school that Josh and Dan (our sons) went to was Junipero Serra in Ventura.

Now to the bargains we found today. I bought this cute cake plate at the Mission Thrift Store for $4.95.

The hardbound Jane Eyre for $2 at a Span thrift store and my most exciting find the Elizabeth Goudge book The Child From The Sea for $3.25 at Abednego Bookstore.

We also bought this breakfast in bed or computer in a chair table for $2.95. It folds up flat and the tray also tilts up to set a book on at a reading angle. I like the magazine or book holders on the side.

 

So with all of our walking today my average steps went up nicely to 11,083.  Woohoo! Look what was in the mailbox when we got home, my new pedometer. Now I hope to get more accurate step counts.

Have a wonderful President’s Day Weekend for those of you in the states and a lovely regular weekend elsewhere.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Wildflowers in Winter ~ Week 5

Week 5 – February 13 – 19. Stitching up wildflowers – creations made with textiles (fabric, yarn, thread etc.) and featuring wildflowers in some form, made by you or someone else.

I didn’t realize how many embroidered or stitched items I had to share in this category! After ironing and taking photos and making collages, I’m finally ready with my post for this week.

The first collages I’m going to share are very special to me because they are of 2 Tablecloths and a set of napkins that my dear little Babushka Vera embroidered for me. My little grandma (we called her little because she was only about 4’11” tall) embroidered this first one as a wedding gift for us.

 

I went shopping with her and picked out the size of tablecloth and the napkins. Then we chose the embroidery threads together, too. Sweet memories. Did I mention that my Babushka only had one hand. One of her arms was amputated from the elbow down when she was a young girl. That never slowed her down. The flowers on this cloth look similar to this Aster.

 

This cloth that my Babushka also embroidered was given to me probably when I graduated from High school. These two Tablecloths are my favorite of all my stitched items because of the love and time it took for my dear Babushka to make them for me.

This photograph of our Babushka was taken in 1969 at my sister Vera’s wedding. Isn’t she the cutest little thing?! She’s looking up at my sister Vera here. She went home to be with her Lord in March of 1980.

To see more stitched Wildflower goodies click on over to Elizabeth Joy’s at Wilflower Morning.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Sky Watch Friday ~

I’m trying out a couple new photography blogging carnivals. This one is hosted by Dot in Georgia. Welcome to Sky Watch Friday!

How to participate in Sky Watch
1. Post your sky picture on your blog. You do not have to use a picture with only the sky in it and the picture can be taken whenever and not just on Friday.
2. Come to Strolling Through Georgia and sign in on Mr. Linky
3. Enjoy the beautiful sky pictures of the other bloggers

So here’s my 1st Sky Watch Friday entry…

 

This was taken in the morning in Oxnard, California…

For more photos head over to Dot’s.