June 25, 2009

Goodbye, Farah & Michael


What an absolutely wild day today - and not in a good way.

First Farah loses her long battle with cancer. Then as we're trying to come to terms with losing her, Michael Jackson has a heart attack and dies.

Death is so confusing. First you exist - then you just simply don't.

Rest in peace to both of these icons of my life.

B

June 23, 2009

Sawdust Festival Preview Night

It's that time in Laguna Beach again! All the festivals are ramping up for another great summer of art celebrations. Tonight was the Sawdust Festival Preview Night, and I was lucky enough to get a pass to attend from my friend, and fellow photographer, Linda Grossman. She has some fantastic pictures in her booth this summer - not that she didn't last summer, but I really think this summer's "travel" theme is a slam dunk! In fact, I am very proud to say that I officially kicked off her summer by making the first purchase.

The place was absolutely packed, which I think bodes well for the coming summer.

If you go, check out Linda's booth (506, in the back by the waterfall) - and tell her Barbara Gordon sent you!



June 22, 2009

30th Annual "Moon Amtrak"

There is a local tradition in Laguna Niguel that you may or may not have heard of. It's the annual "Moon Amtrak" event that takes place at Mug's Away Saloon in Laguna Niguel. This year's even will be on July 11, 2009 - all day.

What it entails (pun intended) is people lining up at the fence between the saloon and the railroad tracks, and when the trains come by - M-O-O-N!

You can read all about it here.

I haven't decided if I'll include my moon yet, but I just might...

Buns away!

B

30th Annual

June 21, 2009

A Laguna Beach must - Scandia Bakery and Deli

There are tons of little out of the way shops and generally cool places that as a tourist you might not find "on the map." Scandia Bakery is one of them.

Whether you live in the area or are visiting on vacation, do yourself a huge favor and go have lunch or a snack at Scandia Bakery on Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach. We had lunch there today (turkey sandwich, avocado sandwich, turkey roll, spinach roll).

Yum!

The food is great, the prices are reasonable, and the desserts - well, check out these pics.






It's located about a block away from Main Beach, and is right in the middle of tons of shops.

Scandia Bakery & Deli
(949) 497-1495
248 Forest Ave
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

It's Summer in Laguna!




Happy Summer!

Happy Summer Solstice!

Happy Father's Day!

Ahhh... The sun is finally out in Laguna Beach, and the word has definitely gotten out! The crowds were huge, and everyone was happily soaking up some rays, walking the beach, picnicking, shopping - everything that one does in the most beautiful beach area in the world.

We were there again today, enjoying all that Laguna has to offer with all the locals and tourists. Whenever I can pick a tourist out of the crowd (not that hard) I always feel more thankful that I live 5 minutes away from a place that people plan for months and spend thousands of dollars to spend their very precious vacation time in.

Here are a few pics from today



May 31, 2009

Even on an Overcast Day, Laguna is Awesome!


Spent another afternoon in Laguna Beach. Even though it was June-gloomy, it was still full of tourists and locals, and there was plenty of people-watching to be done.

May 30, 2009

New Pics - Las Vegas!

Some TTV views of Las Vegas. You travel from world to world, country to country, just by strolling past the different hotels. Each hotel is a complete escape from reality.





Like these pictures? Find them HERE

B

May 24, 2009

Spending Time with an Old Friend

Good morning from Las Vegas!

I drove out yesterday to visit my BFF (since we were 12). We had a marathon gab fest yesterday and just hung out doing nothing but enjoying each other's company. It was the first time in I-don't-know-how-long that we've gotten to do this -- no husbands, no kids, nothing but chatter about anything and everything we wanted to discuss. Silliness, sadness, re-running the highs and lows of our lives, and reliving our high school memories.

The great thing about having a friend for so long is that no matter what memory comes up, they were there and can share it with you.

What a great day.

Girlfriends rock!

B



-- Post From My iPhone

May 22, 2009

Road Trip!

OMG, is there anything more fun than a road trip? Not to me.

I went to see my mom for Mother's Day. Driving through the Central Valley farmland of California is such a peaceful and beautiful drive that I'm usually always up for it, time permitting.

This weekend I'm road-tripping to Las Vegas to see my BFF. It's cool to have H and the pooch along, but this time it's just the girls. We have great plans for just doing whatever we want. In other words, no plans other than two best friends hanging out.

Ahh... I simply cannot wait.

B

May 21, 2009

Australia!

Phew! I finally finished my Australia pictures.

See them HERE

G'day,

B

May 19, 2009

New Picture - "Blush"

Something a little different for me...flowers!



Find it on my website

and here

B

May 04, 2009

Waiting for Daddy




-- Post From My iPhone

May 03, 2009

Laguna Beach Sand Castle

Another shot from this morning. This little sand castle looked so magical I had to snap a shot.

May 02, 2009

View from my window


Laguna Beach. Overcast, but beautiful as always.



-- Post From My iPhone

April 28, 2009

Enough is Enough!

Ever wonder why people stop doing what makes them happy and healthy? Mostly because bad is fun! I'm one of those people who fall off the wagon of healthy eating over and over and over...

But enough is enough!

Whenever I eat healthy and exercise I always feel so stable and grounded...and happy! So, now that I once again feel like crap, I'll go ahead and snivel, crawl and sulk back to the land of health...

The workouts have already started (okay, one week IS a start!)

And the healthy eating begins tomorrow (today was not good -- not bad, but certainly not good).

Fingers crossed, knock on wood, and here's to actually REMEMBERING that I'm back ON the wagon...

B

April 26, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

I spent the morning in my lovely new (almost completed) garden. What a beautiful morning, complete with a birthday bouquet of bright flowers from my H.





-- Post From My iPhone

April 25, 2009

My Own Little Paradise...

We've been working on the backyard recently - trying to reclaim it from the neglect over winter, and I am happy to say that it is coming along really well! I refurb'd my hanging baskets, putting in fresh flowers and plants, and this time I tilled in some time-release Osmocote so I wouldn't have to drench myself with Miracle Grow as I contorted on the top rung of a step ladder. Not fun. The Osmocote should feed the plants for about four months (Yay), and I made sure to till it in deep so the birds wouldn't have it all for breakfast.

I finished planting my veggies in a side bed yesterday, and I'm very happy to say that the first tomato plant I put in has tomatoes on it. As of this writing, I have not spotted any of those U-G-L-Y hornworms, but I am watching and waiting... War is hell, but sometimes it's the only solution...

Today the old furniture got put on the side of the house, ready for the bulky item pickup on Thursday, and the new bistro set is on the patio. Later we'll go get a few more colorful plants, get those in, and then a little nip and tuck at the right time, and it will be my own little heaven on earth.

Ahh...

B

Watching a Genius at Work

Recently I had the absolute proud pleasure of watching H teach a seminar. I was so proud of how wonderfully he handled himself, and was very pleased by the audience's reaction to him - notetaking, nodding and laughing at all the appropriate times, and then a stream of handshakes and thank you's at the end.

You rock, H!!

Beaming B

April 15, 2009

More Shameless Self-Promotion :-)

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
barbaragordon.etsy.com

April 13, 2009

WHOA!!!

April 09, 2009

New Pics - Vintage Road Signs & Vintage Road

"GARAGE"
"JENNY ROSE"
"CUPID'S"
"JOURNEY"

Find these and more HERE

B

April 03, 2009

What Dog Breed Are You??

What dog breed are you? I'm a Labrador Retriever! Find out at Dogster.com

March 30, 2009

Vegas, Baby!

I've been dying to get some shots of Vegas, so we trekked out to Sin City for a day. I love that it's close enough that it's not a huge production and we can get there in just a few hours.

I have to say that while the drive is an easy one, doing it at night is not my favorite. It's PITCH BLACK going through the desert. I have a technicolor vivid imagination so I always imagine how it would blow to break down in the middle of the desert, because I'm absolutely sure (in my imagination) there are bands of roving psychos just waiting to capture us and have city-folk barbecue.

(omg, that sounds crazy and paranoid even to me! LOL!)

Here's the drive at night, looking straight ahead.






Now here's the drive at night looking out my side window.



See what I mean???!!

Driving in at night is worth it, though, because you get to see that beautiful glow in the distance when you come over the mountain and get into town.






To be continued...


-- Post From My iPhone

March 24, 2009

Shameless Self-Promotion :-D

March 23, 2009

So Ugly They're Cute

March 21, 2009

Geese Scare Me

I was feeling generally punky today so we decided to pack up our old crackers and cereal and go to the regional park to feed the birds and squirrels...and take pictures.

We got there and H grabbed the dog and the crackers, I grabbed my camera and got ready to shoot. I was a little nervous at first because the geese are really big, and apparently I've watched way too many America's Funniest Videos, so when the geese started staring me down and slowly walking toward me, I felt a little panicky. I heard a little squeaky voice telling H "throw food at them" "don't let them bite me" "they're coming!" and then I realized it was my voice.

After H threw a ton of cheerios and quite a few oyster crackers, I finally started to relax. They hadn't charged me like the ones on TV, and for that I was extremely grateful. I was able to get quite a few pictures and no geese bites.

But geese still scare me.















March 20, 2009

New in My Etsy Shop - TTV Notecards

I just listed these two sets of notecards in my Etsy shop...

"Happy Days at the Beach"

and

"Wishes and Dreams at the Beach"



B

March 18, 2009

New Pictures - "Smooth Curves" and "Caress"




SEE THEM HERE

View From My Window

Looks like we're in store for a very fruitful summer this year. My nectarine tree is loaded with blossoms!



-- Post From My iPhone

March 17, 2009

Happy St. Paddy's Day!





March 16, 2009

Father & Sons (1)


I love this picture. Today I sold a print to a man who is giving it to his father as a birthday present, which made me very happy - not only for the sale, but because a picture of mine will bring happiness to a father and son.

Father & Sons 1

B

March 15, 2009

Treasure Island Beach

I absolutely love where I live, and having the most beautiful beaches in the world just a couple miles away is a big reason.

This is where we spent today - Treasure Island beach in Laguna.









-- Post From My iPhone

A Day at The Swap Meet

A favorite way for us to spend a weekend day is to go to the Orange County Marketplace, also known as the swap meet.









































-- Post From My iPhone

Is It Possible To Revisit The Past?

Anyone with even a slight case of separation anxiety knows how hard it is to let people who were once a big part of your life slip away into oblivion. I mean, after all, how can you be comfortable with not knowing what's going on in their lives, and whether or not they're healthy and happy?

In this day and age of very accessible search engines and social networking websites I have found that re-locating those missing friends from my past is not really that difficult...and so far, so good; I've found everyone I've looked for.

That's the good part.

Has it always been everything I'd imagined it would be?

No.

For some reason the old school friends, and aquaintances of mine from my earlier years (I'm not saying how long ago, and that in itself should tell you it's been a looong time) have become different people.

Where the heck did my friends go, and who are these imposters who vaguely resemble my friends, but are definitely different people?

The shy girl who had the "thing" with the older man wasn't too much of a shock. She's still with him and is mother to SEVEN kids, and isn't really interested in anything besides her brood.

Hmm. Nothing in common there anymore.

My super good friend who always wore the coolest lip gloss and had awesome long blonde hair, and was dating the football star, became a mailman (woman?) in the deep south and was very open with her disdain for her ne'er do well daughter. She was also open about how Mr. Bigpants football jock used to work off his aggressions by knocking her around. I got the feeling that this ended the innocence and excitement in her life.

I remember that we spent a wonderful week hiding out on the Sunset Strip when we were 16, and I would've never imagined what the future held for her, nor would I have dreamed those few days were the absolute pinnacle of her life.

We spoke a few times and promised to visit each other, but I knew that this sad and broken spirit and I had nothing in common anymore, and that we'd most likely never speak again. When I think of her I can still hear her saying, "Why do you sound so happy?" making me feel guilty for not being sad and dissatisfied with my life.

So what's the point of this story?

It's happened again.

I found another of my good friends I had lost contact with. We spoke last night and again, another imposter. The conversation was awkward and uncomfortable, and although I assured her we'd be getting together soon to catch up, I really (and sadly) have no intention of following through. H says we drift away from certain people for a reason, and I guess he's right. We have nothing in common except some faded memories of happy youth.

I guess life should be lived in the present.

B





-- Post From My iPhoneivw



March 13, 2009

Feeling Lucky?

This recession has everyone scared and depressed at best, and has created homelessness and poverty at worst.

If you're not feeling like you're able to donate any money, there are other ways to help. An easy, fast and cheap way is to merely clean out your closets of clothing you no longer need (especially socks and warm items), old blankets, old jeans, and if you go through your pantry or cupboards I'm sure you can find some canned or pasta items, stuffing mixes, or whatever, that you can donate. Most of the shelters would be happy to come get it if you don't have transportation to go there to drop off.

Try it - even a few items would help warm someone who lives out on the street, or help to feed them a much needed meal. Charity donations are way down, and I saw an interview with one of the shelter employees who said that they're seeing donors of the past now coming and asking for donations themselves.

We need to remember those who have been hit hard, and show our thanks by sharing what we have. Anything is better than nothing.

B

Breakfast of (This) Champion

Thought I'd share my Friday breakfast with everyone. This may look like a chocolate smoothy or milkshake, but it's really a yummy and healthful drink that REALLY gets me going.

I have a personal boycott of dairy products (I feel it's a cruel industry) so I use regular or low fat vanilla Silk, then I add some instant coffee, artificial sweetener (I use pink), "no sugar added" chocolate Instant Breakfast, 2 bananas, and a little non-dairy powdered creamer (to thicken). Toss in about 5 or 6 ice cubes and blend until creamy.

Salud!


--

March 12, 2009

The View From My Window

Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day today!


-- Post From My iPhone