Salt and Pepper the Flavor of Life

Pumpkin Cottage is a mix of cultures.
A bit of Indo-Dutch, exotic and spicy,
mixed with the soul of the Portuguese.

Windmills represent both cultures.
Although, I am not partial to blue and white,
the traditional colors of both
cultures. It is sprinkled in, too.

Holland International Market, Bellflower, CA.  Full of
tasty treats and Dutch novelty gifts.  Hooray.

See Pico that's where I was born,

Traditional Dutch Delftware.

Tasty tasty...

With a sprinkle of old Mexico.

Heavenly Vintage Nursery

The Get-Along has visited this garden location for
many many years.  The location was once the
site of Heard's Gardens and the famed lovely late
Mary Lou Heard. 

Mr. Lee and I attended the last sale with Mary Lou
in attendance.  She handed me, Gertrude, a beautiful
hydrangea or hortensia as my mother would call her.
Gertrude gives me great pleasure and still sits on our front porch.

Gardens grow with our memories.  My mother lovingly
worked the soil of Pumpkin Cottage and her legacy
lives on in my memories and in our garden.


A magical spot in the middle of urban Westminster.

• 14391 Edwards St
  
  Westminster, CA 92683

 

Don't wait,  the property is up for sale and like so many other
treasures in Southern California it will probably
be developed into something with no charm.

Snail: Caracol

We should learn from the snail.
It has devised a home that
is both exquisite and functional.

                    Frank Lloyd Wright

Caracol is the Portuguese word for
snail.  Amalia Rodrigues Caracois,
Queen of  fado.

The smell of Meyer lemons takes me
to Capitola, California where our
cousins the Texeiras lived.

Traveling in my memories today.

Time Time What Have You ....

They always say time changes
things, but you actually have to
change them yourself.
                          Andy Warhol

It has been a leisurely summer.  As we enter the final
week before the kids start school we count our many
blessings.

We are blessed to watch these two
grow and have the memories of
the first two.

It all happens too
fast.

Mr. Lee and I are masters of
slowing down the passage of
time.  By jam packing the
days and being very aware.

Among my most precious blessings: Family, the ability to walk, and creative
thought. 

On Being Disabled

Life is not about how fast
you run or how high you 
climb, but how well you bounce.
                    Tigger
                    A.A. Milne

I'm a doer, my greatest pleasure used to be
to keep moving.  Cleaning, organizing, gardening,
crafting, dancing and biking.  While my physical
ability is now limited, my mind is always bouncing.


My precious friends and family, like Jessica here,
are willing to play gently.  Travel at a slower pace.
And the two kids pictured with her are my go getters.
They are my legs. 
They assist in too many ways to count. 
AND their harmonizing voices fly me to the moon. 

Everyone is burdened with more responsibility. 
I imagine its the same
in other households lead by disabled parents.

Mr. Lee takes on the biggest chunk of the workload.
What helps lift our spirits is the laughter.
Yes, what little walking is done is always
done with a bounce.

A blessed Sunday dearest readers.

Renegade Craft Fair, San Francisco

No it is not enough to attend the Los Angeles Renegade.
San Francisco here we come.
We went.
We saw.
We shopped.
We ate.

 Open up your Golden Gate.

When human beings are at their best nothing
is beyond their imagination. 

Both my grandfathers were entrepreneurs.
My paternal grandfather owned and managed
the general store in our village. 
My maternal grandfather traded in cattle.

I often wonder if my siblings and I have
such a hard time in the confinement of
the traditional workplace because we are better
self-managers then corporate drones.

The Get-Along supports small merchants
because we want to encourage their tenacity.


This is Jacob's favorite merchant and
we always support their endeavor.

Maiden Voyage.
Durable quality for a growing
boy.

The fun part is engaging with the makers.

Online purchasing is here to stay and
its great to buy from all over the world.
But how cool is it to chat with the makers.

Visiting cool places is just part of the adventure.
Alcatraz directly across the bay from Fort Mason.