I love recording my week by focusing on the best events, the large and small delights. It helps me stay grounded in thankfulness. Fortunately, Susanne's weekly Friday Fave Five gives me the perfect opportunity to do just that.
1. For years, The Professor and I have enjoyed taking walks. We've walked in cities in the US, in England, in Indonesia. Almost daily, we walk in our neighborhood, and then we try to vary the routine by hiking in a different location once a week. On Sunday afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the sunshine between rain storms and return to Ventura for another walk. This time we started near the Ventura Pier and walked north. I kept looking back at the pier. Something was wrong. There were no people. It was empty.
We found out later that due to the extremely high surf, the city had closed the pier Sunday morning. We hadn't realized that there was a high surf warning for the coast from Ventura County all the way to the Mexican border.
We walked all the way to the mouth of the Ventura River, the same river where we had walked along the rail trail path last week.
Surfers Point, where the river flows in to the Pacific Ocean, is a famous surfing destination.
There were a few brave, die hard surfers attempting to ride the big ones.
2. One evening this week, we enjoyed hosting friends for dinner. Great food, great conversation.
3. Once in a while, I treat myself to flowers from the farmers market. Lilia, the flower lady, knows I prefer a small bouquet of non-fragrant blooms. These were a perfect choice.
4. Rain. Southern California doesn't get much rain and we need it. Two little storms blew through this week bringing a few inches of precipitation. It was not so blustery and violent that there were floods or slides. A more gentle rain fell. And one storm arrived on Monday so I didn't have to be out in it.
5. I love words. I love reading. When I am home after teaching my writing classes, I don't want to talk anymore for awhile. I sit and read and fill up my empty word tank again. Sometimes I read blogs. Sometimes I read books. I just read.
Words, walks, flowers and friends filled my week. How did you invest your days?
Note: If I don't get around to read or comment on your FFF posts, it's because internet is out at my house. The provider is working on it...
Note: If I don't get around to read or comment on your FFF posts, it's because internet is out at my house. The provider is working on it...
22 comments:
LOVING these shore-side walks with you, Willow! :o) It's been snowy and so bitterly cold here, that I've not even been out & about with my camera as much. Hence lack of winter at my blog. ;o) These days the creativity is cooking, and I've got all irons in the fire--very exciting. Hubby & I have date night Fridays, and so much enjoying this time to reconnect with my mate after a busy, full week. 2012--the year of date nights! And I'm knitting. My sister who's a coffee-drinker is discovering tea, and just bought her first teapot. I'm knitting her a tea cozy. :o) Happy Days, my friend, great to catch up with you ((HUGS))
Love seeing the photos of your Ventura walk. Brings back great memories. They are talking about high surf here in S.D. today. Your week sounds just right!
I do love your have fives. Thank you for sharing words and pictures!
I can see why surfers love to surf there. Those are some waves!
Glad you got some much needed rain. With the severe lack of snow and lots of drying wind we are very, very dry up here.
I like you thoughts about reading and "filling up the empty word tank."
The waves are magnificent. What a great place to walk.
How fun to get yourself some flowers. I prefer non-fragrant blooms too. The fragrance of many plants bother my allergies.
That is so cool that you and your husband enjoy doing this together. What a great way to connect and do something healthy.
I took a walk this morning with my dog cuddled up in a sling. The winds were cold and so the time was cut short. But at least I attempted it. :)
Great food and conversation are always a favourite with me too.
I really love the photo you took with the two suffers! You live in such a beautiful part of the country. I am trying to find something to be thankful for this week-- maybe doctors. We all have the flu and my son is really bad. It will be hard for the kids to catch up with school work.
My iPad keeps changing surfers to suffers!!!
Lovely pictures, lovely reflections of your week. Think I might go out and treat myself to a small bouquet...just because.
I love words, too. I love times when I can just read and "fill up my word tank!"
Love fresh flowers and walks as well. Thanks for sharing your Ventura walk!
Sounds like a terrific way to fill your week!
I always enjoy the photos from your walks.
oh your faves are some of MY faves!! ( well not ones I wrote about this week but I mean fave things to do!) Your pics are stunning!! what a beautiful area you live in and how fortunate to walk in winter!! Hm....what have I done this week besides teach special needs children in the classroom? well, I'm creating a cookbook for my oldest daughter who wants all of my recipes before she graduates from college (she's a freshman), I'm reading an excellent novel called The Lantern and I'm researching anger in teens to teach at my next small group meeting where we will be discussing this emotion and how it relates to our parenting and the Word. Have a good weekend!!
That sounds like a good combination for a great week Love having friends over for dinner. Wish I could send you some of the rain we get. :-)
I like to get fresh flowers sometimes, too. And I love words as well.
Love your bright, pretty blog header.
The ocean, especially when the waves are intense, reminds me of how small I am, and how awesome God is. These are wonderful photos, thank you for sharing them.
Your flowers are very pretty, too.
I spent this night filling my brain with words in the quiet house after the boys went to sleep. It's one of my favorite things,too. :)
I hope you have a happy week ahead.
-Catherine
So lovely to be able to share a walk, especially beside the sea. It's cold and grey in our small corner of the UK today, so lots of knitting and school planning being done in the cosiness of home. Have a good week. Ros
Words, walks, flowers, rain, and reading! What's not to love about this week (and every week you spend)! We rarely take walks together but every Sunday morning we take a family hike and it's my favorite way to begin the day. PS nice pics of the pier.
Between you and Sara (and Ellen, too!), I'm getting my eyes filled with beautiful beach scenes.
I love the beach photos, you had the beach all to yourselves, didn't you?
I hope your weekend was as good as the week that has passed?
Good question Kak Willow. How do I invest in my days. I wish to do exactly what you are doing..but work and many other things are all in the way and i guess its going to be a long time before i get to do the things I really want to do. I have been reading more nowadays. I always love reading but stopped for some time. So, now, I am catching up on reading about a whole stack of books bought in the past. I love flowers, I can resist anything...even food at times..but never flowers. I just have to buy them by the pots whenever I can. Happy week ahead :))
I enjoy exploring Ventura with you...as I've never spend even one minute there in real life. Beaches are always thrilling places to walk!
Thank you for sharing the pictures of your walks - I absolutely love them (in fact, I think I could safely say that they are one of my weekly fav fives!).
Nice blog. As a lover of words you might be interested in the word play involved in cryptic crosswords. I am doing a series of posts on solving cryptic clues. This was the first one I did. http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/cryptic-crosswords-solving-hints-1.html Hope you enjoy.
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