appreciations & noticings

A lot of great things happened on my trip that I was grateful for, appreciated, and treasured. (In fact, that's kind of what makes each day worth living, no?) I enjoy that super-awareness that comes with being in a strange place, when everything is new and interesting and of note.

Such as...

This snail Polaroid I took. Perhaps my favorite photo, ever.

That incredible school of flashing silver sardines at the Monterey Bay Aquarium that I could've watched all day. Magic.

The woman who left the sea salt-and-chocolate covered almonds in the communal fridge at the Hostel near Sausolito. Perfect timing. Much needed. Thank you.

That sea otter I spotted floating in the turquoise frothed surf along the Big Sur coast.

Drinking tiny ceramic cups of tea - rose, white, jasmine, blue - at the tea shop in Chinatown with the walls of loose tea jars and the wooden counters. 

The hawks, falcons and kestrels sitting on poles, wires and trees up and down the coast all week.

Overhearing my mum humming "Librarian" by My Morning Jacket while rooting around in the trunk. Strange, but true.

How the mist and fog cleared up each morning, and it only rained twice, at times when we weren't outside. 

Roxanna, who wore lime and kelly greens, sipped her mate and nettle tea from a silver straw, and had her car packed with belongings as she drove to her new home in Tucson. Best wishes to her - she was a piece of pure sunshine.

Hearing the surf crashing while huddled in my sleeping bag in the cold tent at Half Moon Bay, seeing the black sky faintly studded with stars around a full moon, awaking to sunshine, and that morning hummingbird.

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