Artist in Old Town

I cruised through Old Town a few times, and lo and behold there was this lady sitting in the shade on the bench. She was busy at her work and every now and then she'd look up to see what was passing her way.I cruised by a few times wondering how to photograph her when I had DOH! moment. So I asked her if she'd mind if I took her picture. I love her face. So she said wouldn't your rather photograph my art?

So of course I said yes, and she whipped out her portfolio and said "pick one." Sucker that I am I picked one. So for $20, I sat with her while she created a watercolor for me. Of course I took pictures, however, my settings were wrong. Imagine that.

Seriously, we chatted for over an hour on every subject under the sun. She was engaging, fun and sweet. I so enjoyed our time. She worked as a correspondent for Newsweek (retired), took care of her elderly parents and had her watercolors showcased at a local museum AND never married. She thinks Mr. Right is out there somewhere. What a cool cool lady.

Didn't find any ghostly presences at the Whaley House

rather unpretentiously located up the street from Old Town. I had a goal of touring this house because I saw it on Haunted History which can be on the Travel Channel OR History Interational Channel, two of my favorite channels.They play up the ghost thing and encourage alot of photography just in case. I tried to be careful taking the photos - especially flash because well I figured it didn't hurt to hunt since I was there after all.
Thomas Whaley was quite the businessman and first designed the house to be a general store. The courthouse (above) came about when the granery they installed didn't keep the mice away. San Diego needed a courthouse so he rented the granery room to the County (which was located in the house behind the store). If you look to the UPPER LEFT of the courtroom, there is a light. Sadly its the sun coming in from the window. Although..........eyeing specutively. Sigh.

Loved the way the dry goods store was laid out. Nothing ghostly there. I really loved the fabric. Wouldn't mind that on a scrapbook page or three.Thomas Whaley also established the first commercial theatre on the second floor of his home. I really can't imagine just shuffling people/strangers to the second floor of MY home (which I don't have a second floor anyway). However, Old Town was a small area so maybe everyone KNEW everyone. Nothing ghostly in the theatre.
ooooooooo But check out the shadow near the headboard. That would be MY SHADOW reflecting off the glass while photographing the room. However, does it not look like a bustle? Seriously. Its my wonderful NEW Kelly Moore camera bag. Its the pretty creamsycle looking one that is perfect for traveling. I digress...
This is the little girls room and the only light happening there is the sun and the lamp. They really need to pay these ghosts more.
Although look look in the hallway there. *Start the eerie music*. I could be onto something here. Well except for that pesky sunlight. Sigh.
Thomas was supposed to be hanging in this room, his den which is off the spare room and living room on the first floor. He was unavailable for comment.
The living room was set up with toys that were possible Christmas presents. Sadly there weren't being played with, although I was assured they did move out of place every now and then.
I also took photos from the outside to the rear and took photos of the windows to no avail. However, it was fun and you never know what could appear. Several stories have been written about the ghosts in the house, You'd think a couple or three could lurk for me.

Merry Christmas!!!!

On Christmas Eve day with spent it with my favorite youngest son, Shane. A handsome dude with an offbeat sense of humor. We got to admire his new truck which he is working toward getting on the road. We had a great day, lots of fun shopping. It's a tradtion we've done 2 years in a row and will continue as long as we can. He is such a blast to hang with.
And I know you all have been breathlessly waiting to see our humble tree. It almost didn't happen. Gasp! I know. We were out of town when Sam's sold out and I didn't know of any others that carried these little potted Norfolks. So....while shopping for some rabbit food at Publix, low and behold I spotted one. Actually 3. I stopped my cart in front of the first one
and trapped this poor woman in a riding cart, that couldn't reverse, while I took my time admiring and picking out a tree. She was very patient. Sortof. lol!! I was focused and in the zone, so really I didn't pay attention. My bad.

Right now, DH is watching really bad Christmas movies in the spirit of the day, and we'll be hanging with friends later today.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Balboa Park

involved a lot of walking AND picture taking. It was black and white day. Sort of. It was tough to stick to when the sun came out. So being the decisive person I am; I switched back and forth. bwahaha.Actually what happened I went into the Photography museum and it appeared to me that ALL the cool artists AND their works were b&w. So wanting to jump on that bandwagon.........
I switched. This carrillion tower was so cool and the sound beautiful. I really wished it played more.
I wish I had taken a color photo so I could make the fireplug BRIGHT yellow. It would look cool. Photoshop to the rescue.
I just love the drama of this one. I just wish the cars would not be there. It was dicey getting across the street with a camera on your face lol!!
There was a photo shoot going on of beautiful women (and can you imagine how gorgeous in real life?) on stilts with leaves. I didn't get any good shots of that because I was at a screwy angle. However, the FACE. omg! Stunning.
Did I mention I walked ALOT. I ended up on El Prado??? which was MILES from where I needed to catch the bus. So I missed the bus and ended up walking to City College stop and hopped the train with 3m San Diego Charger fans. Kickoff at 5:30. And barely made it off at my stop, The Fashion Valley Mall. Go me.

USS Midway

was a lot of fun to crawl all over. The people are friendly and they love to tell you about their ship. The Midway was commissioned in 1945 and I was chuckling about the technology which was top of the line. And the phones. OMG! They have an audio tour which I used. They told you about the area, and you could switch around, AND it had actual pilots, shipman conversations and observations which were very cool to hear.All paths lead back to the hangar deck which had a LOT of fun stuff. The kidlets and some adults could climb in the pilots seat, play with some hands on flying AND a simulator for all the daredevils. I would lose my lunch. lol!
These are the bunks for the enlisted guys and let me tell you modesty just flies out the window, not to mention if you hate closed in spaces this is NOT for you. Honestly I don't know how they did it.
I climbed 4 flights of these puppies to get to the bridge. Chains instead of railing AND they were STEEP. I even went down them backwards. If you KNOW ME, you'd know that that was a MAJOR FEAT for me.
Here's the scene of the flight deck from where the AIR BOSS sat. They didn't mess around getting planes off the deck either. Up on the bridge the Captain had two seats just for him. He also had a bunk/room up there which is where he spent the majority of his time when they were underway.
This is a shot from the bow of the flight deck looking back. They had assorted planes on the deck and it was amazing the room still there. And the audio explained everything about them. And you could hear the pilots. Very cool.
I didn't go down to the brig or the sick bay because the ladder/steps down intimidated me. They were STEEP and SMALL. It's an amazing city at sea.

Old Town-San Diego

Native Americans were there before anyone, and in 1769 it became part of the California missions. Then a military garrison settled in. In 1846 the American period began and the war with Mexico began. And of course the gold rush in 1848.

I love Old Town, and I got there early enough where people mostly stayed out of my way so I could get some photos. This beautiful church is on the corner, and is beautiful and serene on the inside. The doors are open to welcome everyone anytime.This is the Whaley House. I went there because I saw it on Haunted History on the Travel Channel. They of course encourage that, AND photos. Bwahahaa! I didn't capture any ghost. Darn.
This is La Casa de Estudillo, now a museum and omg! the inside (which I'll post sometime later) was an awesome peek into back in the day.

Some of the structures are museums run by the state and some are restaurants and stores/shops. The shop owners dress in period costumes which is very cool and they are happy to talk about the history.
This is the McCoy house on the edge of the property that was restored. It was built for the sheriff and his family.
I forgot that it was supposed to be B&W day. Oh gee I'll have to back and do it again. Which I was gonna do yesterday, however, after crawling all over the USS Miday, I was beat. Today is another day. Love it.

Vive la Mexico!

We not only flirted with the border, we crossed it. Which was relatively easy. Which should've been a clue. The LONG car lines didn't make any bells go off either. lmao....So they were getting their Christmas on, with a band that singing Christmas carols.
And the center decorated and festive. It was sort of like being in America except the language was different. This close to the border, there were McD's, Domino's and BK. Sheesh.
And there were TONS of booths and shops. I was slightly annoyed because you couldn't walk by without being accosted. I was afraid to make eye contact or look at something. And it was hard to stop and take pictures as well. They were pushy. Sigh. Took the whole enjoyment away for me.
So we spent about 30 minutes actually strolling around, if that much. AND over an hour and a half, to get back to the America side.
The line was extremely long, and there are of coure, enterprising Mexicans that run the Mexi-cab that you can sit in for 1 1/2 hours instead of waiting in the line. Made some amigos chatting. However, I won't be doing that again. AND I didn't even get my passport stamped. How wrong is that.

Door #1 or door #2

In Portsmouth, NH. Twas a blast. The town has the coolest stuff. Its old, it has character, its rustic. I really need to work more on my "eye". Well I have two. snort. And both like to zoom in on stuff, but there are times when my eyeballs need to step back and look at the "big" picture. And then there are times, when zooming in is the "big" picture. Cropping is my friend. AND so is the saturation button, the exposure button, the definition button. I LOVE BUTTONS.
SO I played around. I love how this came out. I really wish I could take pictures and just have them pop out this way. I'm figuring it out. I was always a slow, wait and learn on down the road type of person. Well I'm headed down the road. And oh look, there's a door.

The Fall Guy

Got the title from the book "Top Titles and Tips Too." Love that book. Great fall back when the brain goes dead and DH isn't around. I have to admit DH comes up with the best titles.

So my favorite SIL took the photos. I wanna be like him when I grow up. He rocks the camera. You can see his stuff here.

My grandson Owen having a great time in the leaves. He's adorable. And chatty. Gets that from my side. My gram said my kidlets could yap like a "Philadelphia lawyer." I'm thinking that's not a good thing. lol!!!

Imaginesce is awesome and I believe I used up every bit I had. Hmmm.....LSS run. bwahahaha! Picked up the leaves from M's for $1. Can't beat that. AND Thickers. I had to glue the vinyl down. But whatever, it works. Love it.

Oh I got my Christmas cards done and in the mail. Sadly not with Christmas stamps. Day late. AND Christmas shopping almost done.

Long Long time ago.............

I took this photo and couldn't help playing. As the dolphin play. Of course there was "dolphin alley" where they would come to play in your wake, but it seems wherever we sailed in our boat. They came to play. It never failed to take my breath away. I never failed to take photos. I never failed to appreciate their beauty and to remember that they were wild.

I have the coolest photos. Sadly we had to sell our boat, but I have tons of awesome memories, not to mention photos, and this one was so much fun I had to share. Photo taken 7.28.2007

I'm in LOOOOVVVVEEE!!! with Kelly Moore Bags....

OMG! (I know you're swooning here). Have you seen the KELLY MOORE BAGS?? This is a purse camera bag AND stylish. Be still my beating heart.

As you know I've picked up with traveling with hubs and I'm trying to COMBINE stuff. Its not easy. Of course I take a carryon, a back pack in which I carry my laptop, camera, and somewhere a purse gets stuffed in there. With the TSA rules you can only have TWO personal items which comes down to backpack and carryon.

WELL, I'm soooooo leaning toward the Orange Sherbert Posey Bag as it functions as a purse AND a bag. I so need more protection for my camera that the goofy camera bag I have which really doesn't hold much AND not alot of protection. With the Posey bag I can eliminate the goofy camera bag I have AND my purse. AND it'll fit in my backpack protecting my baby. I actually measured. Gasp!!! Its perfect. Go here to Kelly Moore Bags. She actually does a tutorial on ALL of them which is very cool.

Gathered Together.............

as is the Murphy Tradition, we once again gathered at Amy and Manny's for the Thanksgiving day feast. It was a great time with lots of food, friends and family.

Imaginesce, Quickutz,K& Company, Michael's ribbon, office tags & stamp by Creative Cafe.

Trick or Treat!

Without further ado. THE grandkidlets.

And they're stinking cute.

Really.

Long time in coming. But TA-DA=TA DONE. Love the papers by Niki Silvas and Echo Park, Bo Bunny and Scribble Scrabble. Oh and the Sandy Lion candies. Look good enough to eat, lol! I know you KNOW I ADORE these die cut papers. I have to really make myself NOT buy them or NOT use them. No choice here. They were perfect. The lo's are really simple and they came

together quickly - about 15 each really. The longest piece was running a sharpie around the edges on the green lo and cleaning up the glass after. If you ain't making a mess, you ain't scrappin'.

Lynn's BIG DC Adventure....

Started out by missing the timeframe for the shuttle that takes you to the metro. The ONE minute I step away from stalking the van man, and there ya have it. He was not amused. Sigh. Relucantly he took me, however, a modest tip and a billion sorry's and thank you's seemed to win the day.I stayed in the "Federal Triangle" mostly because of the weather. (That's where all the museum's are). There was no way in guesssing which way the weather would go. It stayed cloudy, a bit cold and just on the maybe it might rain side). On the plus side, there were very FEW people at the museums and exhibits. WOO HOO!!!
The Washington Monument can be seen EVERYWHERE in DC. I'm not kidding.
These arches were on the way to the metro. Everything is just beautiful and detailed. NO PICTURES were allowed in the National Archives or Art Gallery. It was soooooo cool to see the original documents that were touched by all the brave people that founded our country. Sadly, there were NO archival inks or papers back in the day *what were THEY thinking*. lol!!! Scrapbookers arise.
So above is a picture of the outside. I took it from across the street so I could run if I had to. bwahahaha! The ART was incredible. ALL originals and you could walk right up and study them as they were NOT behind glass. They had charcol and photo art that was absolutely incredible.
And this DUDE, decided every pigeon in the 'hood needed to be fed when I walked by. Fortunately the pigeons didn't care about me. PLUS SIDE. lol!!!!

I even hopped on the metro to return, the traffic there is horrendous. Really.

As fun as this was. I'm ready to go home.