The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

 

Yesterday was "girls day out" where I joined a couple of friends for lunch and a movie in Monterey. We went to see "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," and it was even more charming than the first one ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel").  If you haven't seen these movies, I recommend them! The first one is on pay-per-view on TV, the second one is in the theaters.

Here is the trailor:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O96og_f-Omk

I love movies that not only provide good laughs throughout, but also provide substance and words to more serious thoughts circuluating in my subconscious mind. Here are some of the quotes from these movies that stuck in my heart:

Evelyn: The only real failure is the failure to try. And the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment. As we always must. We came here, and we tried. All of us, in our different ways. Can we be blamed for feeling we're too old to change? Too scared of disappointment to start it all again? We get up every morning, we do our best. Nothing else matters.

Evelyn: But it's also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing; has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will be different. But, perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same. So, we must celebrate the changes. Because, as someone once said "Everything will be all right in the end. And if it's not all right, then trust me, it's not yet the end."

Evelyn: [about their new environment] Initially you're overwhelmed. But gradually you realize it's like a wave. Resist, and you'll be knocked over. Dive into it, and you'll swim out the other side.

Sonny: Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not yet the end. 

Evelyn:  How many new lives can we have? As many as we like!

Enjoy your weekend! Enjoy your life!

Beautiful Big Sur

Last weekend Ash and Lys came home to celebrate Lys's birthday, so we headed down to Big Sur!  Spectacular vistas, gorgeous weather, and yummy food awaited us.

Serenaded by the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Coldplay, we drove through Carmel and the Pacific came into view.  Soon we were passing Point Sur with it's turn-of-the-century lighthouse. For an interesting read about it, click here!

 

Our first stop in Big Sur was the Big Sur Bakery for pancakes and eggs.

Care to have a seat?

After being properly fortified, we drove down to the Henry Miller Memorial Library -- a bookstore, really -- set in redwoods.

 

 

We were greeted by these funky sculptures. Not in the picture was the ping-pong table where anyone is invited to play and the guy doing yoga on the front porch (we wanted to respect his privacy).

 The interior of the library was equally unique. Books hanging from the ceiling...

 and a sort of room divider...

... made of money -- all foreign currency.

From there we drove down the coast another 7-8 miles into Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for a little hike. The billowy clouds against the mountains and deep blue sky were gorgeous!

 

Pelton is a family name so I was especially curious about the Pelton Wheel!

Our goal was a short hike to see McWay Waterfall. We started down a path which led us to a tunnel.

 

On the other side of the tunnel, the ocean came back into view!

 There's nothing like a walk on the edge of the world! 

This was our trail, skirting the cliffs over the Pacific.

 

 Nestled in the hills along the path were morning glories...

 

 ...and other friends!

  McWay Falls were skinney (can you see it?) but the view was magnificent!

 

Staying there forever, breathing in the peace of Big Sur, was very tempting, but soon it was time to turn the car around and head back on the long and winding road home. We decided we were feeling hungry again, so stopped at the famous Ventana Inn.

 

 The weather was so nice, we opted to eat outside, with this as our view from our table...

 

 We were under a huge table umbrella and soon heard large raindrops falling. It became quite cool, but we were finished eating and by the time we got back to the car, the sun was shining again.

The Bixby Bridge welcomed us back to the Carmel Highlands area and soon we were home, warm memories dancing in our heads.

 

This is a trip I highly recommend to anyone visiting the Monterey area!

The House on the Pebble Beach Knoll

 

Several years ago when I lived in Pebble Beach, my daily walks led me to this small cove. You've heard me talk about it in past posts. I called it "my beach" because it's where I went to reflect on life and death and everything in between. Overlooking the cove is a house on a small knoll. It stands alone and brave, quite close to the water,  and I always wondered about that house. Did someone still live there? Did they have ever water lapping at their back door in a bad storm? What was the history of that house on the sea?

Yesterday I was invited to a private lunch in Pebble Beach. My friend had told me the place can be hard to find so we met at one of the entrance gates to Pebble Beach and I followed her through winding roads to 17 Mile Drive. I was so excited when we drove past "my beach," but imagine my surprise when her car turned into the driveway for the house on the knoll! That is where our luncheon would be held. After all these years, the mystery was finally solved. It was raining when we arrived, and we hurried down the path to the front door, shook out our umbrellas, and stepped inside. The house had been turned into a private meeting place. No one currently lives there. Eventually I made my way to the back picture windows and snapped these pictures...

 The cove ("my beach") itself...

We enjoyed a delicious lunch of chicken, risotto, fresh vegetables, and martini glasses filled with chocolate mousse topped with raspberries and blueberries. Then we listened to an inspiring speaker. He is a prominent physician in the area and started out talking about the heart, but soon became philosophical and talked about how we can have fixed mindsets or growth mindsets. Fixed mindsets are held by those who say, "That's just the way I am," and think they can't or won't change.Growth mindsets are held by those who make mistakes but learn from them, who are willing to try new things, who say, "I can do this," when confronted with a challenge. He told the story about the British Tour de France team who, instead of saying "we're doing the best we can," tweaked everything they were doing just 1% more and went on to win the race. You can read more about that here. I hope I'm one of the people who are willing to learn things through my whole life!

By the time we all parted ways, the rain clouds had moved on and the sun was out. We walked past this fascinating sideways tree. The wind may blow, but the tree adapted.

 Even a little caterpillar came out to enjoy the sun.

Adjacent Pacific Grove is known as the Butterfly Town and I imagine this caterpillar will soon become a beautiful butterfly and join with others to add color and joy to the monarch habitat sanctuary. Enjoy reading about this special butterfly habitat and monarch migration here.

My Pillbox Collection

I love little boxes. Often I will pick up a decorative pillbox as a souvenir on my travels. They are small enough to easily fit in an overly-stuffed suitcase, do not take up much space as a collection in the home, and bring a smile to my face every time I see them and reminisce about the little shop or occasion when I purchased it.

Most of my pillboxes are on a dresser mirror which was my mother's. She loved dresser mirrors and I have another beautiful mirror on the other end of my dresser which she gave me for Christmas one year.  Everything on this mirror, including the little ceramic dog (a gift from Ash), is very special to me. Here are a few of my pillboxes and special momentos....

 Travels through Europe...

  

This little box...

 

...reminds me of our cobblestone walk up to the beautiful Bascilla of St. Francis Assisi in Italy.

 My Paris collection consists of the iconic Eiffel Tower souvenir, a paperweight, and a pillbox from different trips there...

These pillboxes are from America. The one on the left is from New England and the one on the right is a Daughters of the American Revolution commemorative pillbox and depicts the DAR Headquarters in Washington D.C.   

 This box is a little larger and was a gift from my daughter Ash when she traveled to Barcelona, Spain...

 When I was in Durango, Colorado a few years ago, I searched for a little pillbox without success, but then happened upon this little pincushion bird. Isn't she sweet? And guess what? She opens up and is a little box!

 

 This ruby glass collection is very special to me. On the left is a souvenir mug that belonged to my grandmother Blanche. The one in the middle was my mother Frances'. I decided to get one for myself to start an heirloom collection so asked a friend of mine who owns an antique shop to keep her eye open for one. She came up with this one for me and it is just waiting for me to have it engraved with my name and year.  My mother's has the year 1943 on the other side.

 

 These are not pillboxes but are on my dresser and very sentimental to me. The wooden box was made by late brother Jack in his high school woodshop class, a gift to our mother. Inside are small momentos of her's that I have kept -- a folding fan, a small book of poetry, some pins, and other odds and ends. The music box was a gift from my daughter Ash from a shop we went to in Lucerne, Switzerland.

 

 Beautiful Lucerne is one of my favorite places.

Now you can see why these small items can bring back a lifetime of memories.

Time to Redecorate

Yippee! I'm doing a happy dance as the construction on the family room walls and ceiling is complete! It took a couple tries to get the touch up paint to match, but as of Tuesday afternoon I no longer have construction workers in my house. Now I can give it a thorough cleaning and think through how I want to re-decorate. My blogger friend Teri over at teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com shared some links on her site for assessing your decorating style. Here are my results from the quizzes:

1.  From houzz.com:
Your style is:  Coastal!
Coastal: If you don’t already, you prefer to live at the beach. You like things light and breezy and use things you found washed up from the tide as decor. You like lots of light and sunshine, and wonder what season there is besides sunny and warm. You’re laid back, and you never worry about someone or something messing up your furniture.

This makes sense to me. My late husband loved nautical antiques so there are pictures, antiques, and ocean themed objects sprinkled through the room. I always figured I was more of a Country French kind of girl, but since I had to take everything out of the family room during the construction and pasteurization, I realize how much I miss those coastal touches! So the nautical will return to my room when I redecorate, but perhaps with a slightly more feminine twist.

2.  From bhg.com:
Your style is:  Country Cottage

The pretty, practical look and feel of country cottage style suits your casual attitude perfectly. You are drawn to colors, fabrics, and window treatments that are light and airy. Heavy, dark colors and textures are simply not your style.

Whether you're decorating a seaside retreat or your primary residence in the city or suburbs, your country cottage style calls for elements that are feminine but not overly fussy. Florals are an important motif and are likely to turn up in window fabrics, slipcovers, or wallpaper.

When it comes to furniture, you're a big fan of painted pieces that add warmth and character. In the kitchen, a farmhouse sink, bead board, and white or light-colored cabinetry are classic cottage features that appeal to you.

One of your favorite activities: Scouring flea markets for vintage fabrics and other special finds to add just the right touch of romance to your space.

I was actually 70% country cottage, 20% eclectic country, and 10% modern country. I'll stick with the country cottage, as it seems to fit better.

3.  From hgtv.com:

Your style is:  Crafted Simplicity

Simple shapes and strong lines. Fine craftsmanship mixes with natural materials. Arts & Crafts, Mission and Shaker work for me.

I do have an appreciation for Arts & Crafts styling, but don't see this as a true style for me.  

So decorating wise I'm all over the place, but plan to settle on a mix of Country French Cottage (which I already have going on) with coastal.  

Ceiling Leak Revisited

My vocabulary has expanded in the last month. You may remember that I woke up one December day before Christmas to discover part of my ceiling had collapsed from a roof leak.  It has been almost three weeks now and I'm still in the process of getting this mess cleaned up and learning a great deal about my house.  In case you ever find yourself in a similar predicament, here is what has unfolded:

- The insurance company is paying for the interior damage, but not the roof repair itself.
- Mold grows within a matter of a a few days, so if you are not aware a leak is occurring, you could be in for an additional surprise, as I was:  the dreaded mold in the wall!
- The insurance company is paying for the mold remediation up to a certain dollar amount (my remediation is under that amount).
- Some wood rot was also discovered when the contractor took down the wet sheet rock -- the insurance company does not cover wood rot as it is considered an old issue.  So replacing the header boards in the corner was at my own expense and quite involved. (A second temporary wall had to be built to support the corner so the rotted section could be chipped out and fresh new 2X4's installed, then the temp wall was removed.)
- The mold remediation process takes patience!  First, the environmental (mold) specialist came out and took samples of the air in the corner of the room and outside on the deck.  The point was to determine which molds and fungi are in our Monterey air in general (which we can't control) compared to those that were in my house.  Some were present inside that were not present outside.  Others were present both inside and outside but to greater or lesser degrees in one place vs another.  It took two days to get the results.
- The contractor had to stop working while the mold remediation is happening.  So my family room is still torn up.
- The day before New Year's, the mold remediation company constructed a containment area with a zipper so that I didn't have to breathe the mold this past week.  It's still in my family room -- argh!

- A very noisy dehumidifier ran in the containment area from Dec. 31st until yesterday to remove the excess moisture in the walls and under the floor from water leaking inside from the roof leak.  Drove me crazy as it's in my TV room.  It was supposed to be pulled out on Monday, but the remediation guy came down with the flu.  Finally yesterday afternoon another person from the company came and pulled it out.
- Pasteurization is scheduled for this Friday.  Tonight I prepare -- removing photos and photo albums, DVDs and CDs, candles, and anything that could be damaged by high heat.  This process involves sectioning off the family room and kitchen which have been "exposed" to the mold spores, and bringing in ducts so that very hot (140 degree) air can be pumped into the family room to kill the mold!

- The mold inspector will be back out on Monday to retest to make sure the pasteurization really killed the mold.  Have to wait until Tuesday for the results, and then on Weds. my contractor can resume the ceiling and wall repairs, texturizing the walls, and painting which will take several days as things have to dry between steps.
- When all of that is done, I need to assess the damage to the Pergo flooring which sustained some damage.

This was not exactly how I intended to spend my two week Christmas vacation.  The countless phone calls and coordination are tiresome, but the end is in sight.

I wanted to join in on the 14 Week Challenge through A Bowl Full of Lemons, but I'll be a little behind schedule. Back at work this week, so my time is precious. Patience is required through this process.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you

Vintage Card from: http://vintageholidaycrafts.com