Birthday Adventure - Can You Guess What Movie?

I know this is a little off my normal topic but last week I said that we were going to celebrate my Birthday Sun - Mon taking a trip to visit a filming site of one of my favorite movies.  Unfotunately we had to postpone it until this coming weekend due to some last minute scheduling issues.  So I thought it would be fun to give you some hints to what movie it is from.  This is one of my all time favorite movies and it is directed by another favorite.

Although I am a big (and I mean BIG) fan of older movies I have never seen some of the most popular ones.  So this weekend my hubby surprised me with The West Side Story.  I give it 2 thumbs up!  What fun to discover a "new" movie. 

I think the lure of old movies is that they didn't have a lot of technology; they relied on their talent as actors and actresses to convey a story and draw you into the scenes.  The correography and the art of creating props and backdrops were more physical and much more an act of passion and love for what they were creating and not so much how to censationalize a scene.  Anyway this movie reminded me of the beautiful plays I would go to at my college and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So here are the hints to what movie I love and where I will be visiting this weekend:

This great photograph is from Etsy Shop RandyNyhofPhotos at http://ow.ly/d0Cw1

This great print was found in Etsy Shop MarioCSam at http://ow.ly/d0Aom

This great painting can be found in Etsy Shop RevampedArt at http://ow.ly/d0xEh

Another great photograph from Etsy shop ParrishHousePhotos at http://ow.ly/d0zEw

This great photograph can be found in Etsy shop EDPPhotographic at http://ow.ly/d0y0O

This great photograph is from Etsy Shop KatjaDewdrop at http://ow.ly/d0zkE

This Great Art was found in Etsy shop MelissaSPhoto at http://ow.ly/d0z0U

A great Abstract found on Etsy at KristieChi http://ow.ly/d0yiA

This great Fine Art is from Etsy Shop JoyceChampeau at http://ow.ly/d0BQP

This wonderful Etching is from Etsy Shop RavenStamps at http://ow.ly/d0AHm

It's Saturday! I Have The Beach On My Mind

This beautiful Vintage Linen Postcard can be purchased from my Etsy Shop PostcardsInTheAttic at http://ow.ly/ceIEY

It’s Saturday and I don’t really feel like talking about rocks this morning.  I have had the beach life on my mind all week so let’s find some shells.  There is nothing like beachcombing the shore of an abundant beach.  Unfortunately Pismo has so many aggressive seagulls that smash and bash the shells trying to get out the meaty little morsels that the wonderful sand dollars are usually only pieces.   I did find just a couple of nice shells while on our honeymoon but it was also more challenging because there were so many more people there over the holiday.

This wondeful oil painting on canvas can be purchased from Etsy shop DMiller at http://ow.ly/ceIYi

A wonderful digital photo from Etsy shop SueOlsonPhoto at http://ow.ly/ceJ1z

Seashells, just like postcards, have always symbolized travel to me.  I would collect as many as I could as a kid and people would even gift them to me when they would come back from their adventures.  I would love to look at them and dream about what wonderful salt water creature lived in them and dream about walking on the beach and seeing for myself all of these amazing shells.  It had taken me until I was well into my 30’s to walk along a real ocean shoreline but I am so blessed now to finally be in an area that is only a drive away from the Western Coast line.

This wonderful photograph can be purchased from Etsy shop, MyBeachWishes, at http://ow.ly/ceIys

Unfortunately I have found that finding shells are not quite as easy as in my dreams and that some beaches do not yield any solid seashells at all.  But it is still the beach and I still get to play in the sand and sun.

So here is to seashells and beach fun; I really hope soon that I won’t just be a visitor but I’ll be living it large on the shores someday!  Go California Lotto!

A Treasured Wednesday

Well we made it through to another Wednesday and at the end of this day most of us will be on the downward side of the hill moving towards another weekend.  Unfortunately for me my work week starts on Tuesday so today just means I survived my first day back at work.  It is so amazing to me how fast time really goes.  One minute I am on the beach with my new husband and the next I am back into the routine; seems like we never skipped a beat.

But the memories will last forever and it was a beautiful moment in my life.  While there are many, a couple of my favorite were when I seen a whale come up out of the ocean for the first time.  It was quite far out and I could only catch a quick blurry picture; it was so breathtaking to actually think that I was able to see this for first hand while sitting on the sandy beach.  I was also able to catch some shots of Sea Otters (one of my favorite animals) and a couple great shots of Sea Lions.  While fairly easy to spot, the Pelicans were another one of my favorites.
These are things that I had only dreamed of seeing and never in my Midwest life thought I would have had a chance to see any of it first hand.

Here are a couple of quick shots:

Morro Bay, CA

Morro Bay, CA

Morro Bay, CA

Morro Bay, CA

Sorry that this one is hard to see but at the left you can see the whale's tail.  Pismo Beach, CA

I will share more about the Wedding on Sunday (when I don't have to work) and can spend more time picking out my pictures.  This may have been one of the most simple weddings by it truly was my dream wedding and I couldn't be happier.

Now onto my Kudos to the great Artists and Curators I find on Etsy and Artfire:

Summer Blues

Curated By: TheLivingArt

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Ocean Dreaming

Curated By: LibertyImages

ArtFire.com

Indie Design

Wandering Wednesday - Jalama Beach California

Jalama Beach California is one of those places that not many people know about, even those that live in California.  It is one of those spots that you just google and say "that looks nice" but once you get there it is amazing!  It is one of the prettiest beaches that I have been to and it has many attributes that will make it a great place to take your family.

The only unfortunate part is that you have to travel a bit to get there and it may seem that you are lost but your not.  It is locate approximately 20 miles Southwest of Lompoc California in Santa Barbara County.  You must be willing to drive a long stretch through some rolling hills and farmland.  You will also want to note that as you get closer to your destination the roads will get a little more narrow and you will loose cellular services.  The neat thing about the journey is just when you are starting to think "there is no way there is a beach here," you will crest the last hill and get a panoramic view of the ocean.

There are many activities available such as whale and bird watching, surfing, fishing, and hiking.  The main attraction for me was the hiking and a leisurely stroll along the beach.  I simply liked Jalama for its beautiful shore line and ocean view.  I had so much fun looking at the little shrimp and other creatures that would get trapped in the pools that formed as the waves retreated back to the ocean over the soft rocks. 

At Jalama you have the best of two landscapes. On the right side of the beach it is rocking and great for exploring and hiking; the rocks almost look like they've been painted.  Unfortunately my camera did not capture how bright the deep bands of red, tan and beige were that ripple through the rocks.  The other side of the beach has the traditional sandy shore wonderful for the kids to play in and for you to enjoy beachcombing.

Jalama has a great campsite for those that love to rough it; most people have rated the camping as very good and report that they really enjoyed the site.  They have cabins if you don't want to bring a tent and there is a small store called Jalama Beach Store & Grill that reportedly has great burgers and has everything you'll need.  This website, http://www.santabarbara.com/activities/camping/jalama_beach/,  is very helpful for planning a trip to Jalama.  They do charge for parking which after traveling that far is good to know ahead of time.  I haven't been there for a couple of years so I am not exactly sure how much it is now.

I hope that you get a chance to enjoy one of California's hidden treasures; I am sure you will be glad that you made the trip.