MAD DREAM DESIGN

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Dominique Mc Kenzie at Winnow

I went to a good family friend, Dominique Mc Kenzie's, art show at Winnow Gallery and Goods in Newport Beach two Saturdays ago. It was a great little shop full of fun handcrafted, natural, and sunny goods and designs. Dominique featured some of her work on the walls in the gallery along with two other artists, creating "Puttin' on the Dog." . The theme for the show was all about animals and Dominique's bright colored watercolors stood out against the natural tones of the gallery. They are all very eye catching and seem to capture the playful essence of animals and the various characters or personalities we find in our pets, that just don't compare to anything else. The watercolor medium and bright colors were not the only things that made her work stand out, but it was the material she used to paint on. Dominique uses Yupo paper, which unlike regular paper it does not absorb the watercolor. Yupo forces the paint to blob up, smear and create tones that any absorbent paper would not be able to produce. When the water dries, it leaves the paint with the effects of water, creating an interest effect to the work. Yupo paper was my favorite project in my watercolor class in art school, so I can sincerely see the want to use it as a material for the medium. The location of this gallery is a fun one right off of PCH, and on a gorgeous day like Saturday, July 16, it was a prefect spot to be. You can check out Dominique's work at www.myanimals.net.

by: Dominique Mc Kenzie
Source: myanimals.net
Dominique and her pups

Costa Rica

Photos from my trip to Playa Negra, Costa Rica.

All I have to say is PURA VIDA.

If you were there, you now what I mean.

Solvang, California

I honestly don't remember Solvang from when I was younger, but my dad said we used to go there to get Aeblskivers when ever we were near Solvang. So naturally, I had to give them a try....again. A pancake dough ball topped with powdered sugar and jam, is what was placed in front of me. Yep, I can see me liking these!

Not only did I try out some Danish food, I also for the first time, went wine tasting. Fess Parker, Zaca Mesa and Bridlewood were the tree wineries we visited. They were all gorgeous and the drive through Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang were all amazing.

When I see places like this it makes me wonder why I live where I live, in the suburbs. I am always on the water or at the beach so I get to experience that sort of beauty everyday. The green rolling hills of the country I do not get to see everyday. The thing about Santa Barbra county, and in particular this area is you are relatively close to the beach but you are in the country. I have always thought that that was really cool. The best of both worlds you could say!

Two of Us

I went to The Lighthouse Deli & Cafe with Jimi two weekends ago for our "Valentine's Day" day together. We took President's Day off and went up to Long Beach for the whole day. It consisted of road trippin', breakfast, The Aquarium of the Pacific, coffee, coffee, good tunes, and good company. Not only do I love road trips that consist of me and Jimi exploring or embarking on a new adventure, but I love it being just the "Two of Us." My favorite Beatles song off of my favorite Beatles album...Let It Be. "Just the two of us riding nowhere." Yep, that is pretty much it. Good laughs, good conversation, and good vibes. I feel like that is all we would ever need...a car you can sleep in the back of, a destination (or maybe not), an iPod and the open road.

The Lighthouse Deli & Cafe is exactly as I remember it, with the exception of a new paint job outside. I had not been back there for probably 10 years. My grandpa, Poppy, used to take me and my sister there every time we came up to Long Beach to visit him for the weekend when we were younger. It was always The Lighthouse Cafe, a new toy, a little adventure to the Seal and Sea Lion rescue or The Park, Kid's Cuisines, Squeeze Its, an old movie, and the two couches in his living room. Seriously the best! Lily knows what I am talking about.

Since it had been so long since I had been to The Lighthouse Cafe and back then my sister and I were only ever about French Toast and Hot Chocolate(which I still get), I had no idea what the food was actually going to be like. Jimi is not easy to please (as far as breakfast and fish tacos are concerned) so I was hoping this little trip was not going to be a disappointment. Let me just say, the food was A-M-AZING. Jimi will agree with me...he rated it 2nd best to Omelette Parlour! And for those of you had the chance to get a bite of OP before it closed know that this is a very good rating. So if you are ever in Long Beach looking for breakfast, I recommend it. And for my paddling friends, it is just a block or two from the launch site of the Cabrillo run.

So here is to good memories, road trips, being pleasantly surprised, and still loving hot chocolate as much as I did when I was a kid. <3