GRT2014 Days 16-19 Scottsdale, AZ and Goleta, CA

The last few days in Scottsdale sort of flew by. After making more of my sections of my project from Gail Garber's class, I then went to my Louisa Smith 2-day class. We had a great time make circles and Xs (hugs and kisses), then playing on our design walls. It's a really interesting concept.  I can see multiple projects using this technique.  Louisa is in the midst of publishing prep, so look for the book in the not too distant future. 

There are some pics on my Facebook page, but I am in a restaurant as I write this so cant upload anything new right now.  Check tomorrow. 

My roomie Dolores left on Saturday, but I stayed over to get a second dose of the Chihuly exhibit after having lunch with my brother.  he ended up having a root canal, so tho plans got cancelled. Then, after an Intense week of class, I decided I needed just a quick nap before heading back over to the Desert Botanical Garden.  Ha! The "quick nap" lasted till 7:00 pm. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  Although I still think I'm in my 30s, I'm not. After a week of class, running around, too much rich food, and entertaining in our little casita for 3 evenings, I was really tired! Sometimes I need to catch up on the sleep.

Sunday morning, I decided to head to Joshua Tree National Park then spend the night in that area. The joy of driving is that I can change my mind on the fly.  I forgot that I'd gain an hour by changing time zones again.  It was so early when I got to the exit for Joshua, and the Pacific was calling me so loudly, that I just kept driving to see how close I could get to Morro Bay. 

 Let me offer a little insight on navigation systems at this point.

I think I may have mentioned that the nav system in my car is way, way out of date and that updating has, so far, not been possible (many curse words inserted here). So I sort of use it as a back-up, but am also using Google maps on the iPad to navigate since it is equipped with the newest roads that the car is unaware of.  Yea. Well. The iPad took me right thru Burbank and its surrounds.  Argh! The traffic, even on a Sunday afternoon, was ridiculous. I should've listened to the old dude and taken I-10 to "the 5" and come up that way.  Still, I got to see parts of California I'd not yet seen. 

I ultimately ended up in Goleta, which is really Santa Barbara but probably less expensive. I made it this far because I wasn't about to stop in the LA/Hollywood area and deal with that traffic on a weekday morning. Although it is dingy and full of buildings with not much "California" in sight, I was intrigued enough with what I saw to think I'd like to go back sometime.  I didn't see the Hollywood sign in the hills, but I didn't have much opportunity to take my eyes off the road, either.  I don't even know if I was in the right area to see it.  

I drove over 500 miles yesterday, which I don't really,like to do, but now I have just 100 miles to go today to get to Morro Bay.  I'd like to do a little walking around Santa Barbara before I head north, though. It's quite beautiful her and I need pictures.

So that's what I've been up to for the last few days. Always an adventure, and I truly never know what I'll do next unless its one of the few things that are concrete plans. What a fun way to travel! My clothes still fit, but my body is begging for some exercise, so maybe walking around Santa Barbara is exactly what I need.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by.