Vacation 2012

Developing a habit is hard - I'm working on getting back here. I always knew that if I broke my streak of regular posting, it was gonna be hard to get back. I need some art and some other things to really get me back on track.

Here is what really got me off-target - VACATION. I really needed it this year.  In the photos below, if there is a black image protruding from the water, it is a whale. I saw probably 20-25 spouts a day and had a couple of opportunities to watch whales flirting with the boats and playing pretty close to the deck where I was staying.

Most days, it was sunny and beautiful, at least for the afternoon.  The mornings had some fog and low clouds, but it was beautiful then, too.

Home Again, Home Again

The fog rolled in so strong last night it looked like heavy sheets of rain coming from the ocean in the tiny lights on the building. It was beautiful.  It's funny that almost every time I come here, the last night gets foggy and lasts into the morning. By the time I get to Lincoln City on the way home, the sun is shining there, but it is almost like the fog is ushering me home.  Makes it easier to go when it is getting colder. Just a little demarcation - vacation was sunny, now it is foggy. Go home. :)

This was a little too short, I think, but better than not going at all. I have another bit of time later in August booked - when I don't have a show and other things I need to worry about.  This was a great breather and will help me keep my sanity for a little while.

Stopped at the beach in Lincoln City for a few minutes. I saw a woman dressed entirely for winter - she was wearing a full length down coat, a woolen hat and heavy pants.  It was about 65 degrees out but very windy. One last look and back to real life.

I think I need to start taking pictures that include people (me, people I know, etc.). I'm not a good photographer, really, but I don't practice enough. I just need to start practicing and see what happens.

Day Two of Sheer Relaxation

Okay, first of all, let me just say that it is SO GOOD that I don't have cable.  The Food Network is like an evil snake.  I'm not even a foodie - most of the stuff they cook sounds AWFUL but I find the cooking and the competitions FASCINATING - like a snake...I did do other stuff while I was here but it just cemented my resolve to stay away from having stuff on television that I actually like.

Went swimming and hung out on the deck, took a nap, read. RELAXED.  Vacation is good.

The view from the deck

View from the deck straight out in front

I love watching birds bathe - too funny

Vacation accoutrements - Vogue was for the Emma Stone article and some art journaling (which I did not do). I also have my script, "A Discovery of Witches", my Kindle, my iPod (the new Carrie Underwood album is GOOD), and my joy pen.  I should have worked on the script more. I didn't read the book - I read in my Kindle this time. I'm about 1/3 of the way through "Tiger's Curse" that was written by a fellow interpreter in Oregon, Colleen Houck.

First Real Day of Vacation

Drove out to the beach yesterday and got here around 4pm. The weather is sunny but cool - around 65 degrees out. This is a different condo than the one I usually rent - that one was available and then, 6 hours later (over night), it wasn't.

This place is nice (and for sale) but I still prefer the other location (probably because I went there first).

Here are some photos of the condo:

Ahhh.  Time to Relax.

In The Home Stretch

There are less days of work left than the number of days of my vacation. This is good. I'm on the downward slope towards some days off and time away. Nothing bad is happening, nothing unusual. I'm just tired. It's been a while. As I get older, I am realizing more and more that time AWAY is really important. I used to just think a day off here or there would keep me, but now I just need some time away to reset my body and mind. To really relax for more than an afternoon before I have to get up and do it all again.

Soon. Very soon.

Beach-y-ness

I made reservations for vacations for this summer. Not one, but two!  I'm just taking a few days in July (because I hesitated too long and the place I wanted wasn't available but I need to get away) and another few days in August.  This is good news.  I can't wait to go and listen to the waves lull me to sleep.  This will be so good and healthy.  I don't think I went to the beach last year, but I can't remember. I kept thinking I would and putting it off until there wasn't availability.  Sadly, I'm spoiled now - I like being beach front and having a deck and the quiet of the condo where I stay.  Other places may be less expensive, but this place just has it all for me. And no, I'm not telling where it is. :)

Teetering Dangerously

I am tired. I have been meaning to take some time off and somehow, it just kept getting put off.  About three weeks ago, I slept funny one night, got a pain in my neck and I have been struggling since then. I think it is just time to take some time - because the neck is sore, my stress goes right there.  Nothing in particular stressing me out, just need to reset my body.  I'm gonna go to the beach. I can't wait because I really feel like I'm teetering on the edge.  The good news is that I know it and I'm doing something about it, instead of trying to push it aside.

Time off is good. So is self-care. It is kind of sad how easy it is to forget those things.

Bubbling Over

I can feel my emotional tiredness bubbling up at strange moments. Mostly, it happens when I am overstimulated (too much electronic and social media in my world - work and personal). I am finding myself taking adult time-outs. I just have to withdraw from things sometimes to regain perspective and to minimize stimulation levels.

I love networking, but I am realizing that I can only process so much and then I have to just stop.

I checked on my favorite beach place and they are basically booked into mid-June...I don't want to wait that long. I may have to find a secondary place to go for a couple of days or a weekend.  Just away and feeling the rhythms of the ocean will help.

Are You People Happy Now?

The people who most lament the cooler summer weather are the ones who have the luxury of running off to the coast when it is 90 degrees outside.

It isn't the heat in the day time that bothers me - I work in a temperature controlled building (although we have to close the blinds to keep the temp down).  The real problem is that I can't sleep in the heat. It makes me cranky because I have to get up just as the house is cool enough to really sleep comfortably. It will be over soon. And it hasn't been as hot as they said it would be...   

Dog Days of Summer?

I should go back in the blog and read some of my "end-of-summer" posts and see if I am afflicted in the same way every year.  I'm just feeling unsettled, unfocused. I miss interpreting, but I have lost some confidence since I don't interpret daily. I have been thinking of setting up some kind of practice and at the same time, that feels sort of artificial.

I have been thinking about when I can go to the beach, but we have another show right around the corner, so there is no rest until at least after August 25.  I just want a couple of days at the beach - to reset my inner self. There is just something about the rhythms of the ocean that relax me so deeply.

I have been wanting to also re-enter my reading world - I have STACKS of books that I want to read and my ability to attend to a book is greatly diminished. I just need to stop allowing myself to be distracted by everything. 30 minutes a day is not that hard. I want to get back to that.

Anyway, these are just some of the thoughts I have been having. And art journals, cleaning out the car, how will the downgrade affect the economy, getting up earlier, doing the laundry, etc.  My brain is all over the place lately. It will be fine - it's just a little chaotic right now, but it will settle down.

For now, I will just think beach-y thoughts. :)

Taking a Class Again

Kelly Kilmer has a new online course that I am going to take. It is another art journal class and I am excited about it - it is more basic in nature in terms of materials used. I have everything I need and I'm excited about getting some prompts and making something new.  I have definitely needed to do some kind of class but the local community college hasn't really had what I'm looking for or they have it when I can't do it.

It's May again, so my cyclical time of feeling restless and stressed out is here. I'm hoping a friend is coming up the first week of June, so hopefully, I will be able to get out of town for a few days. I think a nice couple of days at the beach is pretty welcome about now. We'll see if I can make it work.

My Feet on Vacation

Reading material and a beverage - ready for the deck!

These rocks are featured in most of my photos because they are mesmerizing. The water pours in and out, crashing and churning and spewing up into the air. 

Looking to the left of our condo - foggy and dark, but still beautiful. The white on the rock is a mix of seabirds and *ick* bird poo. 

Cold feet on vacation.

See what I mean about churning?

A Taste of Vacation

Responsible adult that I am, I decided to come back home after my vacation instead of running away to join the circus, which seemed redundant. Just kidding...

Anyway, I have been unable to shake the sleep off today, so here is a little preview of the joys of my vacation (which will seem, to most of you, a little boring).

The big lump in the front portion of the photo is a whale that I watched for about 30 minutes or so as it moved across the water in front of my deck.

Yes, this looks remarkably like the last vacation I took at the beach...

The wave action is mesmerizing. The place I stay is a hop, skip and a jump from Boiler Bay. Beautiful.