moving day

We just returned from a most amazing 30 days spent with Ruby and her mom and dad in Santa Barbara and in 24 hours we'll be moving to a rental in our area. Much smaller than the house we sold in March but that was the plan, wasn't it? Downsize. Simplify. We've got a one year lease and then who knows?

Happy Fathers Day

Brunch and the beach at Summerland, California makes for a perfect Dad's day with Audrey, Josh, and Ruby (and future baby girl...love the matching stripes!). This beach is dogs on leash but we've been to another where it's run amok with dogs...so fun! Planning on a couple more days there this week.

petite Periwinkle lane

When my daughter went to college she told us of a street in the Santa Barbara/Montecito area where if you were to believe urban legend "little people" were the only inhabitants and living a magical life. We are living only a few blocks away from the infamous Periwinkle Lane this summer and on further research I have discovered what the magic is all about.

The houses are called the Moody cottages, about three dozen pixie homes built in the 1930s and '40s (and scattered on other streets as well other than Periwinkle) by sisters Harriet, Mildred, Brenda and Wilma Moody. These four unmarried ladies who, long before it was permitted or expected, created vital careers in Santa Barbara in design and planning, banking, art, cottage development and construction.

The Moody sisters made full use of windows, beams, doors and other house parts salvaged from large homes being torn down after the Depression to save on property taxes. These recycling efforts only gave their already fanciful creations further character and charm. Ceilings slanted to an extreme, windows irregularly sized and rooms configured in odd shapes, the homes are whimsical -- if now downright eccentric.Today these cottages -- mere dollhouses when compared with Montecito mansions -- continue to command serious money. Three Moody cottages on the market recently were listed at $1,695,000 to $2,595,000, putting their price per square foot about 20% higher than the average per-square-foot sales price for other properties in the same ZIP Code.

behind closed gates

I like to imagine what goes on behind these Montecito closed gates on our walks with Lola. It seems as if every house has them and they come in all sizes, shapes, and from different eras in home building. Wouldn't you love to take a peek inside the homes behind them?

summer fun

We play hide and seek. a lot. and we always know where she is because she hides in the same spot. the first, second, and tenth time we play. Lola and Ruby are becoming best pals. It's fascinating to watch how Lola has taken Ruby under her wing  paw and feels the need to be by her and protect her, And how Ruby is becoming more enchanted with her each day.