Shakin’ Loose a Memory

​I remember the day Nancy and I pulled into Santa Barbara, after three days of driving here from North Dakota. Our first stop was to check into a hotel right across from the beach, of course, and then to buy a local newspaper and settle in for a quick swim before we started looking for apartments and jobs. Setting up our towels on the beach, we eagerly dashed into the water, only to be met with gasps of surprise from one another as we realized the water was very cold. We later learned the ocean here is a constant 65° on average, which keeps the temperature in Santa Barbara during the warmer summer months very temperate. Needless to say, we got down to the apartment hunting fairly quickly!😂😂😂

Our beautiful beach. It was RIGHT HERE we came on our first day in Santa Barbara. 💕

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

​For a western Montana girl, finding myself in a 75 degree day in March is pretty stellar!  I do believe I am a bit sun kissed😂😂. A walk along the beach is always at the top of my list when the ocean is THISCLOSE💕. 

Stearns Wharf is quiet in the early morning 😊  

Love looking at all the driftwood 💕  

And now…

Down time 💕

Ocean Therapy

​It has been about three years now since I’ve returned to Santa Barbara for some ocean therapy, and it is so wonderful to be back! The town looks much the same as it did when I moved here as a young woman of just 19 years of age. Still, there remain so many wonderful memories of my time here 💕. Here are just a few of the reasons that I love coming back to Santa Barbara…

Santa Barbara Harbor 💕

These beautiful sunsets 💕

Living creatively in Santa Barbara 😂😂  

Reflections on the water🤗

Bird of Paradise

Tugboats 😂😂😂👏👏!

LOO REVIEW!

​As I was using the ‘loo for one, final wee before leaving Missoula for the Motherland, I got to thinking of things that need improvement. For an airport just recently rebuilt from the ground up, I must say…the ‘loos are lacking🙄. Having no spot for my book other than on the ground just 45 minutes earlier, I squished it into the toilet seat liner receptacle on the wall, and then promptly forgot to grab it upon leaving. And my boarding pass was in it 😣. Fortunately, when I retraced my steps to find it when my flight was boarding, I saw a woman holding my book. My relief must have been evident, because she held it up and said, “Is it yours?”  I nodded, totally forgetting my boarding pass was tucked inside until I saw it sticking out of the flap. I grinned and said, “I wouldn’t have gotten far without THAT!” She then assured me she was going to go to the gate and call out my name until I retrieved it.😂😂😂😂. It was then I began my mental list of things they should’ve put in the Missoula International Airport ‘loos.

Wall receptacles…

Coat hangers…

Well marked gender designation…

And, fortunately we wouldn’t need these in Missoula, but I just might when in the Twin Cities 😂😂…

And for ambiance…

I think MSP has to be, if not at the top of the list, pretty darn close to my favorite of travel transit airports. Along with the crazy efficient ‘loos, it’s got a lot of cute/pretty…

Besides that, I keep seeing Nick Shirley look-alikes😂😂😂👏👏👏!   Wish I could thank him for his STELLAR journalism! 

Warsaw Rising

​Until I visited the museum, I believed the name of Poland’s SECOND conflict was the Warsaw Uprising. Instead, it is referred to as the Warsaw Rising. And as I got to thinking about the wording, I realized that an uprising refers to somebody that is taking over something, and in calling it a ‘rising’, it refers to a country strategically endeavoring to regain what was lost, and taking back what was theirs all along.  Another thing I’d never thought of before, but realized after visiting the museum, was how fraught Europe’s history is with war, much of it at the hands of Germany. And how sad that once Poland gained their freedom from Germany/Russia with the end of WWII, Russia succeeded in taking over for many years. MANY years. But the people of Poland declared themselves sovereign in 1989, and remain so to this day. And hopefully forever. 

Warsaw Rising Museum

And below, from inside. 

The above was a postage stamp size photo that a prisoner of war had written a letter to his mother on. 

The devastation of Warsaw as the Germans were retreating, just prior to admitting defeat.  The whole city was destroyed, with the population of Warsaw being reduced to 1/3 of what it was before the war.😔

For some reason this café inside the museum reminded me of a communist, Russian themed cafe, but they made the best Pavlova I’ve ever had😱.  But then I’ve never had Pavlova! 😂

After roughly 4 hours strolling through the museum, we started to make our way back home. We were close to where we had enjoyed the food tour the evening before, so I snapped some pictures in the daylight.☺️

These two depictions were huge murals on buildings across from one another. A stark contrast to war and peace I thought. 

We were trying to find one last grocery store where we could pick up some mustard in a tube (the best mustard I have ever eaten was in Poland!), but that must be a German thing, mustard in a tube 😂.  Still, we walked and walked, but were unable to find the grocery store I was trying to get us to.  We were well beyond weary after having just spent four hours on our feet in the museum, so I knew I needed to give Plus One a period of respite before trying to get him back to the hometel. And we both needed a ‘loo break too. Lo and behold, around the next corner was an Ibis (aka fancy schmancy😂) hotel, WITH a restaurant! 

We enjoyed a lovely glass of wine and an early dinner as we rested our feet and we were able to use the bathroom. Imagine our surprise when we walked out and saw the grocery store right across the street! By then we were energized and able to make a quick stop, but we never did find our mustard in a tube. 😂😂😂 A wonderful last day in Poland ☺️💕.  

Morning Musing

​It was an early morning wake up today for me, but I appreciate the quiet and the solitude of being awake when much of the world is asleep, save for those who work on a 24 hour schedule. I recall many times working a night shift, and even though it went against my body‘s internal clock, I loved those peaceful, mostly quiet hours. Now, rather than fret about being ‘off’ my normal clock, I’ve got a hot cuppa at my side, and my Bible open and waiting. I know I’ve said it before, most recently in the Christmas letter, but how I have appreciated, and continue to appreciate, the insight, knowledge, and awareness gained from traveling through Israel for two weeks. When we left Israel, I commented to Dean…’I don’t think I’ll have to come back here.’ But in the past few weeks, I’ve wanted nothing more than to go back and re-visit the paths we walked, along with the places we didn’t make it to due to lack of time. After all, for a country is an ancient as Israel, there was a lot of stuff that went down there!😂😂 So that may be a trip I’ll take solo, or with another group of travelers. I think I’ve worn Dean out with international travel, as he’s told me before that the only two places he really wanted to see were the World War II battle sites, and the holy land. But that was only at my mentioning, planning and scheduling, so he may have gone along just for me 💕. I know the Poland Christmas markets were just for me, yet it was so much fun being there for such a special and meaningful time of year for both of us. As we were having dinner in Warsaw one evening, (I  believe it was at the place with the grandma on the menu), he said, “ I was thinking when I woke up at 3:00 am (yes, it’s a reality with an eight hour time difference 😂)… I would have never come to Europe if it hadn’t been for you.” ☺️Made my heart happy. 

Some fun photos from yesterday-year…

Dean’s first lobster roll after a lifetime thinking he was allergic to shellfish 😂👏👏 

Our first raw oysters, instigated by my brother who said, ‘They taste like the ocean.’  And they DID!😂😂😂

Looking back through my pictures, I realize how very blessed we are to have been able to travel through this amazing world, and to share so many wonderful experiences! Especially with those we love so much.  The memories will always remain dear to my heart💕.