I've Got the Blues...

Not really.

But Luke and I did hit up the Avila Blues Festival this past Saturday.

Luke's dad and stepmom, Bryan and Kathy, had bought a table at the festival and generously invited us to go along.  We got a special inside-the-fence-tables-only wristband and everything.

The weather was perfect.  We drank beer and margaritas.  Ate popsicles. Enjoyed the sun, visiting with Luke's family, and people watching.

But most of all we enjoyed the MUSIC.

Everyone who played was just a fantastic musician- I was simply blown away.

Opening: Taj Mahal.  Click HERE for a clip. Love his gravely voice and mad guitar skills.

Next: Tower of Power.  Click HERE for a clip.  This guy's voice is insane.  The brass is insane. The band is insane.  I thought of my brother, Marcus, the whole time. Definitely my favorite.

Last: The Doobie Brothers.  Click HERE for a clip.  Classic, awesome, and so fun to listen to.

All in all, a pretty perfect day. Thanks Bryan and Kathy!

Total Eclipse (of the Heart)!

I happened to be home hanging out with my mom the evening of the eclipse, and we had a great time walking up the hill with the neighbor kids to check it out...

Photo from HERE

I couldn't get enough of it!  We happened to have (thanks to dad!) a great little mirror device so that we could look directly at the sun.

The kids enjoyed it, too!

The light before the eclipse was extraordinary- diffused and dim, as if there was smoke in the air.  It definitely created a sense that something was about to happen...

Most of all, though, it was fun spending time with my mom...

Haircut!

I got a haircut! with bangs!  I also began making curtains for Luke's room, but I'll save those pics for another post...

Beautiful Santa Barbara!

This past Saturday, Luke and I took a day trip to Santa Barbara!

We went down to see our good friend Val's masters thesis project, a play she wrote called Piezoelectric Love: the (Half) Life of Marie Curie.  The show, as described in Val's own words: "Science. Clowns. Live music. Sex. Beckett-esque dreamscapes. Masks. Glow in the dark paint. Squeaky bicycles. Everything you could ever want in a show."  Loved the whole thing, especially Val's beautiful, poetic telling of a love story between Marie and her husband, Pierre.

Luke and I also spent time in the downtown, on State Street.  I took lots of pictures inside The Paper Source, which was a gorgeous paper and card store, right up my alley.  Can you tell I am a little obsessed?

We also stopped in at my favorite store, Sur la Table.  Luke bought me this hat, which I love:

I also purchased a great cotton Indian tapestry, which I'm going to make into a duvet cover.  I won't show a picture of it yet, because I want it to be a surprise.  But I will say that it has camels and elephants on it. That's right, camels and elephants.

We also ate at a great Creole-ish restaurant/grill called The Palace.  

Highlight of the meal was bread pudding souffle with a whiskey cream sauce.  So. Freaking. Good.  They also had live music outside for our (rather long) wait out front.  The band was called the Stiff Pickle.  Love it.

And let's not forget this AWESOME mural painted on the wall inside:

And lastly, this pic of Luke and I...

Such a wonderful time; good food, friends, weather, and a lovely town.  It was great to get out of town for a bit!

A Backyard Picnic

This post is a little late in coming, but oh well!

I wanted to share some photos of a really lovely backyard picnic (under the grape arbor!) shared by me, Luke, Marcus, and Yvonne.

 7 kinds of cheese, wine, pasta salad, olives, figs, honey, jam, crostini, crackers, apple pie, port, and chocolate.  

YUM.

All photos by Marcus:

I think another picnic might be in order soon...

Gifts from a Student

Who has two thumbs and loves getting presents?  This girl.

Especially when the gift is something like this:

One of my students (and his family) live outside of town and have a smallish family farm.  Today they left me these lovely organic veggies and these gorgeous aloe flowers.  So sweet.

I am of the opinion that homegrown things are so much better tasting, fresher, and prettier than their store-bought counterparts.

Now how to cook these??