California Dreamin'

Two weeks ago I was just getting ready to head out to the west coast to spend a few days in San Diego before heading up to the mountains at Idylwild for Metals Week. My plan was to arrive into LAX at 4 pm, pick up a rental car, and have a leisurely drive down the picturesque Coastal Highway...

What in the world was I thinking!!!

It took 2 hours just to get out of LA! And by the time I was able to swing over to the coastal highway, the sun was already setting, but at least I had a chance to get this great shot of a west coast sunset....

But the rest of the trip was absolute perfection! I spent a couple of days with my friend Susan, who has a beautiful place in Del Mar, right near the beach. First thing next morning she took me for a hike along the Pacific coast and Oh. My. Goodness. What breathtaking sights! I'm not sure these pix do it justice, but I can still smell the salt air and feel the ocean breezes just looking at them...

 

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon lunching and shopping in Solana Beach, a lovely little coastal town, where I also got to meet talented jewelry artist Lynn Merchant....

Saturday I was invited to give a presentation about my work to the San Diego Bead Society. Surprisingly, I was not very nervous and I always enjoy meeting like minded jewelry artisans....

Then it was off to the mountains! :-)

First let me just say that the venue is beyond fabulous! Clean mountain air, gorgeous vista, wonderful food (well, maybe a little too wonderful), and great people, including Deb Jemmott, who has been the organizer of this event for 6 years. It was like art camp for grownups;  5 days of  learning and creating.

This was my daily view as I walked back and forth between classes, and yes those are the mountains in the background....

 My dorm and the "mess hall"....

And here's the fabulous Connie Fox, my instructor for the week, her work, and our studio....

As an added bonus, I made some new friends... :-)

Buh bye Cali, I had a an absolutely lovely, fabulous, wonderful time!!!

I'll be back (in my best Arnold voice).... :-)

But in case you want to see what I did all the week, here's a wrap.....