Funk?

 Woke up in a funk for some reason. I kept hearing the phrase, "Get happy any way you can." What makes me happy is to play with photos. It worked!

What makes you happy? I'd love to hear.

This is a vintage image that I've used a few time. (more available on my etsy.) The background on the top one is one of my paintings. The bottom version is manipulated from tree bark. I'm sure that you guessed that.

You might  have noticed the logo on the right for NaNoWriMo? A good friend, Pam, and I are taking the challenge together, it's good to have an encouraging buddy! The goal is to write 50,000 in 30 days. The idea is to write a rough draft of a novel without editing it. The daily goal is 1,667 words a day. The first day was easy. The second day wasn't as easy due to a long-drawn out doctor appointment; I didn't leave the office in very good mood. I would have taken the day off, but this early in the challenge I didn't dare. Yesterday was endless, but I managed to write more than 1667 words. Day 4, I haven't started yet. I probably should start . .. oops! the earth just shook. I prefer small earthquakes but could have done with this tiny one. I'm sure that the news tonight will be full of predictions, once again, about the big that is believed to happen soon. Oh, and the weather will be a major topic as well; record breaking heat this week.

Stacy at 43!

Every year on November 1st I remember what the "specialists" told us when Stacy was eight months old. "There is too much damage, we don't think she'll be here to celebrate her first birthday." HA! Stacy has proven that even specialists don't have the answers.

Our first stop today was at the lab for blood tests, Stacy has an appointment at Loma Linda on the 8th. The second stop was in Rancho Mirage at the River Shopping Center where we ate outdoors at Acqua Pazza, a Bistro we'd never been to before. Their breakfast menu is huge; Stacy finally settled on blueberry waffles. Yum!! The view from our table was marvelous, the temp in the low 80's and the sky is so clear today that mountains are all in view. Sometimes the sky is hazy from humidity or dust after a windstorm so the mountains aren't as visible. Stacy glowed and was so thrilled to be outdoors. What was I saying a couple of weeks ago about Fashion Island in Newport Beach being spectacular? The River is about 1/4 of the size of Fashion Island and is mostly restaurants but it's pretty spectacular too. And yes, that's Stacy walking away from Acqua Pazza in route to Borders. I nearly missed getting her reflection in the window on the left. Happy Birthday my darling girl!!!