A DAY IN PARADISE with MARSHA and STU…..

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A DAY IN PARADISE with MARSHA and STU…..

…..here from Chicago for the winter. Smart folks! Marsha and I went to grade school together and besides loving her dearly she’s my ‘go to gal’ for just about everything! Books to read, sights to see….oh it’s a long list.

I took Amtrak to Santa Ana where Marsha and Stu met me and it was off to our adventure!

Here’s the darling house they’re renting on Balboa Island.

Hi Marsha….Hi Stu….

One of the bedrooms, obviously for the kiddies……had the cutest bunk bed…..

Yes, bedrooms and ‘stuff’ on every floor……

Everything had a nautical theme….even these stained glass windows.

There was a roof deck upstairs and this cute space downstairs.

Marsha & I took a delightful stroll…….

….and encountered this great fellow…..he loved being petted……

Here’s his soulful buddy…..

Bye for now…….

Saw lots of Labradoodles….actually it seemed like Labradoodle Central!

Off we went to ‘Pelican Hill’ on the coast of Newport Beach. This is where we left reality completely….

First stop was lunch at the Coliseum whose terrace overlooks the most gynormous pool I have ever seen.

I guess my shadow is covering this beautiful salmon…..with yummy kale salad…..

This was too complicated to explain…..

Hi Marsha…..

Yummy bread pudding and of course….ice cream….

Can you get an idea how enormous the pool is? Look how small these people are and I couldn’t get the whole pool in the shot. Gosh, they should have a life guard with rafts in the middle of this thing.

You can see part of the golf course…..there are two full sized permanent greens designed by Tom Fazio and they’re VERY challenging….golfers call it ‘scary fun’!

Next stop, Marsha & I wanted to see the main section of the complex in all it’s Palladian style grandeur. Oh driver……

A section of the Pelican Grill…..

One of the many terraces…..

…..again, the Pelican Grill…..

Then it was off to see the practice green….

See if you can miss the sand traps…..

I now know a little bit about golf ‘addicts’. Stu would have been content to stay here for an hour or so just watching golfers do their practice shots….he even photographed it. Now there’s a golfer!

Back to the ‘Cafe’. Gelato anyone???

Espresso please……

….and I’ll have one of those thingies……

So cute!

The view from the Cafe…….

Temptation everywhere…..

A section of the main building…..

Andrea Ristorante…….

On the road again….this time Corona del Mar and another Labradoodle ready for his close up.

A perfect day……

Hi you two, don’t I know you???

Awwwwwwwwwwwww…………………

Bye doodlepuss……..

No time for shopping……

….because we’re taking the two minute ferry to Balboa…..from Balboa….it’s confusing…..

Bikers on the ferry……

Wave at the other ferry……see the car???….get out of the car and feel the breeze…..

That’s more like it….

Perfect……

See, back to Balboa Island from….you guessed it!

The day would not be complete without some salt water taffy…..

I was on an immediate sugar high the moment we stepped in here…..

I was trying to photograph this dog all afternoon…well almost. Everytime I got a shot his owner led him around a corner and after a while I was beginning to feel like a stalker. Finally, when we were about to go back to Santa Ana, there he was! I wanted to get a side view but my iPhone went completely dead….wonder why.

Thank you Marsha and Stu for the most perfect day and for the delicious cupcakes!

Beautiful too!

See……

And of course I had to bring home a treat for you know who.

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Introduction

There is no avoiding the pull of the internet, the blogs, the YouTube imaginings. It's as if we're all 'On the Road' with Jack Kerouac each in our own world of meanderings. When we tell someone to 'get a life' it might be a bit difficult when you're dragged into other people's 24/7.

I've come to realize two foundational principals, there are no accidents and everyone has a purpose. More and more I'm desiring everyone to come into a full realization of their purpose as we all find our way on this little jewel of a planet.

For me, as a professional 'Western style artist', I stumbled into Chinese Brush Painting after a trip in 1980 to Monet's home/garden. Seeing all of his collection of Japanese woodblock prints was an ahh haa moment for me and when I returned to the States I started painting in the Chinese manner and never looked back. The first year was extremely painful for me as I felt that I should be able to master the technique since I was a 'trained' artist. Not a chance ... that just gets in your way.

Now, after teaching close to 3,000 students and having my book 'The Ch'i of the Brush' published by Watson Guptill, I can say that every one of my students does better their first day than I did my first year! Why? Because I insist that they leave their critical parent outside and just enjoy the journey, respecting the work that they do. I never let anyone throw anything away because that just ingrains frustration and defeat.

We really only begin to learn when we stop and figure out how to 'save' a painting. It works every time.I am so proud of my students, their receptivity and eagerness to express themselves is a continuing blessing for me.So, back to finding your purpose. Perhaps it starts with realizing 'it's not about me'. It so easy to want our needs met and to filter everything thru this attitude. When we realize that we're here to be of benefit to every life that we touch the universe really provides the ways and means.

The best part is that it's really exciting to not have yourself on your mind all the time!I'm re-reading a wonderful book about authenticity and in my next meandering I'll tell you about it. In the meantime I'd love to hear about your journey and am here to answer any and all questions about Chinese Brush Painting.