Thursday, November 07, 2013

First Week of November

This first full week of November brought that dreaded time change malaise.  It also brought us a cold virus which we've generously shared with each other here at Willow's Cottage.  Even so, there were many blessings to remind me to be grateful. I share them here for Friday Fave Five.

1.  A beautiful day
      in a beautiful place


2.  With my favorite person
We packed a lunch, bought some coffee, drove up the coast highway, and enjoyed a picnic in a park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Summerland is a tiny beach town near Santa Barbara, and its community park has FREE parking which is a small miracle along El Camino Real in sight of the beach.

Sitting at the picnic table under the pine tree watching the birds which were perched on the branches above us.


The school of surfers was sharing the water with a pod of dolphins.  (Just so you know, it's very difficult to catch a photo of a dolphin breaching the waves.  I tried.  Many times.)



3.  Encouraging words from friends in person and by email.  They remind us of how many people love and care for us and each other.

4.  A comment from my daughter's facebook page made me laugh.
My grandkids *heart* musicals.

"Little Man just took a bite of his food and said, "Mmmmmm... Rum punch." 
Thank you, Mary Poppins."

5.  Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!  My daughter and son-in-law enjoyed attending the Marine Corps Birthday Ball this week.  Waiting for photos of them all dressed up in their formal clothes.

Bonus:  We don't live near any of our children.  But this week we talked with each one.  That's a wonderful gift!

I hope you've had a great week!  What gifts came your way?

12 comments:

Faith said...

Oh what a true blessing it is to hear from our children. I still have one in college and one at home in high school and I know it is GOOD when they grow up and move away yet I dread that day that is fast approaching!! Love your pics and hope you all are feeling better this weekend!!

Dianna said...

We don't live near either of our children either...so I understand what a treat it was for you to be able to talk with yours. We have our weekly talks with ours as well. It truly is a gift.

Enjoyed your pictures as we

Melissa said...

Encouraging words are so good for the soul. Great photos of a beautiful day!

Hazel said...

The comment made me smile. Cute :) That's one lovely picnic you had! Nice photos. I love the bird. How wonderful that you got to talk with each of your children.

Hazel

ellen b. said...

That makes me smile...about the musicals. We speak in musicals around here. Fun times. Glad you heard from all your kids. Right now as you know we only have 2 far away and three close by.

Barbara H. said...

You know, I've been experiencing malaise and lethargy this week and it didn't even occur to me that the time change caused it. Thanks for reminding me of that effect!

How neat to see the dolphins so close! And especially to hear from each of your kids this week.

"A word in due season" is truly a blessing.

Funny about the musical! We tend to quote movies for a while after seeing them.

Jerralea said...

Love the beach photos. Your road trip sounds like the kind of trips Jim and I like to make. But we have to settle for lakes instead of beaches!

Claudia Bugh said...

It's always a pleasure to visit your Friday Faves and see the local sights through your eyes! It sounds like you've been spending a lot of time up in Santa Barbara which is my home town. If you get a chance it's always a treat to have afternoon tea at the Biltmore.

Brenda said...

Love your beach pictures. I love to sit by the beach any time of year. I know what you mean about getting to speak to your children, I'm waiting to hear from my son who recently moved to Japan. I wonder if they know how much it means to us when they call?

Bethany said...

I'm so happy to hear that there are still kids who love musicals! I sure did. I actually love the time change this time of year because it's actually light now in the morning when we get up. And I feel like I gain some more sleep! This week was supposed to be good (it was my birthday week) but it ended up being pretty bad-- bad news from family, stressful changes possibly coming with C's work and other out of the ordinary things. It's one of those weeks when you feel like you should stay on your knees! But, its also showing me to find the positive, happy things right now. Your date sounds like so much fun!

snoopydogknits said...

Oh wow! Such beautiful photos! It's always lovely to hear from our own children, who have all left the nest and live in other parts of England. I never feel too distant from them though, with the wonders of technology to keep us in touch. Ros

nikkipolani said...

I've driven by Summerland many a time and wondered what views are waiting at a place with such a lovely name -- now I know!

So nice you have had conversations with your kids this week.