It was a lovely day all around. I somehow managed to pull Christmas out of the air, considering I tend to wait until the very last minute to get stuff done. I was watching all around me as other folks were cleaning, baking, creating up a storm days and weeks before the day. Meanwhile, I was looking around at my messy kitchen, unvaccuumed floor, and undecorated house, all knowing I had a big dinner to cook for house full of guests coming up really fast. Maybe someday I'll manage to create the fairy tale Christmas morning and dinner I always picture. This year, I'm just happy I managed to get some lights up!

My daughter and I went to some vintage shops today doing some last minute holiday shopping. Shipwreck is my favorite and can be found in Eureka Ca. in Old Town. There you'll find all kinds of vintage treasures, clothing and an entire section dedicated to knitting and yarns. On top of a great selection, their prices are hard to beat. This is my daughter sampling the inventory.

These are my two favorite windows in my home. The first is my kitchen window. I've been practicing a monologue for an upcoming audition while doing dishes. That's what my virgo boyfriend likes to call stacking functions. The second is the view to my back deck. We actually do get some pretty fall colors on our lovely cherry blossom tree. It offers spectacular white blossoms in spring. 

A week or two ago, I was driving with my 11 year old daughter and her three best friends. We encountered a pretty amazing sky. I pulled over as soon as I got off the freeway and grabbed this shot. This is lovely but it was actually a complete double rainbow and, yes... it was so intense.

I'm Traveling In Some Vehicle, I'm Sitting In Some Cafe

I'm figuring on getting into the habit of posting about the musicians who have moved and influenced me over the years. They range from big names to folks who have passed through my little town and played tiny shows in a friend's living room. There's no better person to start with than Joni Mitchell because in many ways, she was the beginning for me, at least as far as songwriters go. She introduced me to a deeper layer of writing and expression. The album, 'Hejira', is pure art and beauty. For me, it's the perfect culmination of her early and later work, it's the pinnacle of it all.

Joni in her Laurel Canyon home
photo by Henry Diltz, 1970

a live version of a perfect song

Street Style

I found my new favorite street style blog...Streetstyle Aesthetic. Makes me want to move to Europe and be more interesting than I am. Here is a selection of some of my favorites. Apparently I like grey, black and tweed.