Eve of the New Year in Big Sur

Introducing Big Sur

Not a bad crew to hike with.

The view from Nepenthe. 

At the top of the world - or at least up on a smallish mountain.

Lots of mushrooms lining the trails.

Hey kids, Big Ben! 

Actually, he's pointing out here somewhere.

Jared and Alexis and a perfectly blue sky

Some Ents. 

Vogel and Jenny and some telephone wires way up high

I heart ferns

On the way down the mountain (right before Jenny made me sprain my ankle by talking about Keanu Reeves)

Another gorgeous Pacific view

Life

Morning life at the Big Sur Bakery

Hiking the redwoods. 

Three wild turkeys in hot pursuit of a fine female

More trail mushrooms - I just liked the way they looked

Fuzzy flower

Lunch at Nepenthe

It's Bloody Mary time

Sunset on the Pacific

This is, like, uber famous. 

But I liked this more.

And this was pretty cool too

Get out of my way! 

The colors were absolutely stunning.

...(no words)...

"Call on me, call on me!"

I couldn't settle on just one.

yup

Magic 

When a House becomes a "Home"

After the arrival of our shipment from Bulgaria AND the fact that we left for a long vacation--and it was JUST long enough for us to start missing our apartment and life in China...we know that things are really starting to feel like home! Here's how things are looking:

Safety First!

I've received more than a few comments suggesting that I might not be as agile on my new bike as I imagine myself to be.... So I decided to invest in these while in the US! After much searching, I went with the glitter blue/star motif... I think it gives off a certain tough, yet hip vibe:

And here is Mike's 'all Americican argyle' edition!

Santa Comes Early....And He's Still Awesome!

Just like in the movies-- under the tree there was a small box--and inside...two keys! I rushed to the porch to see what was the matter:

And here she is in the morning light (note: have not taken her on the streets yet due to the fact that santa did not provide a helmet...)

Trying to make some new, tough biker friends....This guy's ready to ride!

Just Walk Away

Let's be honest: one of the most exciting adventures in China is...the fake markets, of course! Christmas shopping has been a really fun process for me this year as I continue to test out the "one for you, two for me theory." In doing so, I have gotten really good at the "just walk away strategy" where you name your bottom line price and walk. If you hear "Ok lady, lady" chasing behind you, you're golden! Today I decided to only haggle in Chinese. So I whipped through all my phrases "Hello, how are you? I am well thank you. My name is Kate. What is your name? How much? What! That is TOO expensive (insert a fainting motion here as you listen the story about how this item is different-- it's REAL leather, etc.)! Continue in Chinese: "I am from Shanghai. I am a teacher! I will buy for...." Telling the merchants I was from Shanghai got more than a few chuckles today--cutting the price, however, did not. Yet, we only walked away once today where the seller let us keep going (sorry Jessie and Liz, no baby Ugg boots this year).... Here's some of my booty (about $4 USD):

And then this was an exciting $7 find, considering I almost bought it two weeks ago in Duty Free:

But here's the best gift of all- and to get it, I had to go into a backroom behind a fake wall, then wait as the book case was pulled out; then I slipped into a second back room to find this-- feels like leather, and the "real" US price tags are still on:

(not pictured: North Face Jacket, Ugg Boots-- oh and your Christmas present!)

My Painting

It has been my lifelong dream to learn how to paint-- so I finally enrolled in a 6 week painting class. We are using oils and working for about 2 hours each week. Here is my progress-- I'm really proud of it! :)


week 1


week 2


week 3


week 4


week 5