Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Tuesday evening: 

Avila Beach... Avila Hot Springs, to be exact! It's wonderful! big pool 80 degrees and smaller 2' deep 103 degree pool holds 20. It was so nice to swim more than 14 strokes and not run into the far end! Wow! It's the most expensive place I've stayed, so far $45 (and I could have left w/o paying because they never checked me in, but my conscious wouldn't have let me live with that).. .the pools make it very worthwhile. I hope to swim again tomorrow morning and then do a painting at the beach. nice little piers here, and the SLO harbor, but I could just as easily hit Hwy 1 and head north for Morro Bay or Cayucas, or email Hearst Castle for reservations. Since I've never been there... this is the perfect time. I can probably hang around and paint all day! Hmmm. We'll see when I get online in the morning.
It was a lovely but long drive today from Tehachapi on Hwy 58, all the way to 101 South at San Luis Obispo. I did get a small pen/ink/watercolor done out there near Santa Margarita... nice litte bedroom community for SLO. I stopped at a winery to ask some questions and ended up with a bottle of very nice Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe I'll drink it with Teresa? Hopefully we can meet up in Santa Cruz this weekend.

Then to Half Moon Bay for Christine; then to SF for Jane and Toodles; then to Walnut Creek for Linda.

Wednesday morning.  It's beautiful here at the beach.  I had a great swim this morning, feel like I've done something really good for myself.  A Japanese lady was at the hotspring filling her 5 gallon bottles and said she drinks the sulfury-smelling stuff.  She looked pretty good.  maybe I'll get some at Harbin on the way back to Mendocino!

Here's some mistletoe berries.  It's really beautiful but so destructive!

Avila Beach.  Beautiful!

Have a nice day!  I'm heading north on Hwy 1 today.  Hope to paint, and will try to share with you if I do. 

xoxo suzi