Ahhh!

Ahhhh! Home! Yes, the trip was fantastic, but I will tell you that when the intersection of Old Creek Road and Hwy 1 offered a gorgeous glimpse of the Pacific this afternoon, I thought perhaps I might be just as impressed with home as with any other place on our tour.

Then Papa and I rolled down the windows to take in the cool beach air of Los Osos. More ahhhhs. The house is tidy; the dog and cat seem happy to see us. Red flowers are blooming in the front yard. I checked my messages to discover the Art Center had sold another encaustic painting (not mine, but one form the IEA exhibit), and all the other messages were good ones, too. Now we are home with glasses of wine. Life is good.

As was the last leg of the trip - Bakersfield to Los Osos with a detour (literally) to Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Tillie the car girl had no clue how to get us there. The map was vague, and iPad offered little better. So we wandered. A CA Wildlife Official intercepted us, told us we must really be lost (I think he meant stupid), and set us on the right path. But all in all, we liked the adventure. And we finally reached Kern. We saw four or five great blue herons, great white herons and another roadrunner. Fun. The scenery was inspiring. We will go back next winter when the bird population is at its best.

Now to unpack, do laundry, and hopefully settle into a slow, comfortable pace. Is it possible?