It's hard to believe. It always is. It feels like it was just February and I remember thinking, "Summer will NEVER get here". But here it is, and boy does it feel great! After giving lots of hugs and shedding a few tears, I said goodbye to the students and teachers of Kellogg school, and jumped RIGHT in to summer living. For the first week of summer, Matt and I have been house/dog sitting on the riviera of Santa Barbara. What a spot! Here has been a typical day:
7:30am - Wake up, make coffee, eat breakfast
8:00 - Read the paper while sipping coffee on the front porch overlooking the entire Santa Barbara area as well as the crystal clear Pacific Ocean
9:00 - Matt works away on his thesis in the guest house, looking up every once in a while to take in the inspiring views from up here in the hills. I lay in the hammock for hours, reading my book and breathing in the aromatic breeze of the salty ocean mixed with the sweet plums, lemons, apricots and peaches growing behind me.
10:30 - Time for a dip in the pool! As the temperatures climb into the 90's, we seek relief by floating around in the warm pool, while catching some incredible views down below.
12:00 - A leisurely lunch by the pool
1:00 - Another swim, followed by a long walk that takes me far up into the riviera. I stumble upon one amazing view after another, and spot several lizards, a bunny, and three quail!
3:00 - Back in the pool. Play with the dogs for a while and then decide to look through recipe books to decide what to have for dinner (this, by the way, is the biggest decision I've had to make all day...)
6:00 - Dinner outside while watching the sun go down and cast a gorgeous grapefruit-colored shadow on all of the buildings below.
7:00 - Venture out to the front porch with a glass of wine and contemplate the meaning of life.
LIFE IS GOOD!
