Blogs from Santa Barbara, California, United States, North America - page 3

Transcribed from a letter written May 20, 2015 I think this post will mark six weeks on the road unplugged and the first direct and focused commentary on digital technology. It's interesting I haven't written much about it because from day one I have been living the intention of no digital technology and telling everyone I meet about it. Obviously, I have no cell phone or computer but no debit card, either. Cash or check only (which has been the only annoyance. I've run out of cash on a Friday night, twice!!) People are interested in knowing if I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I have to admit, there have been zero withdrawal symptoms. From day one, I have felt a freedom such as I have not felt since childhood - a complete liberation. It's not merely being ... read more

Dad, Ania, and I left Amanda’s house to go to Solvang. It was a beautiful drive going there. We stopped at a place to get food for our picnic lunch. We got pesto pasta, samosas, kale salad, and cheese. We then met Avo Jay and Roz and all got into one car. We drove to the first winery, Zaca Mesa. My dad, Ania and Roz had wine. I talked with Avo Jay about school and friends. The next winery was Fess Parker. It was kind of old style with fireplaces and wood walls. Fess Parker was an actor who played in a move called, “Davey Crocket.” Near a couch was a little stand that had the raccoon hats on it. The next winery was called Bridlewood. It was where we ate all the food. While my ... read more

29 septembre El Refugio State Beach à Carpenteria State Beach Matin froid, mais qui réchauffe très vite avec l'arrivée du soleil. Le paysage depuis la table de pique-nique est merveilleux; palmier, mer, récifs ... Départ vers 8:30 par la piste cyclable allant à El Capitan State Beach : mauvais choix. L'asphalte est horrible, une partie est presque tombée dans la mer (peut-être pour cela qu'il y avait une clôture...) et l'asphalte à El Capitan pour rejoindre la 101 est encore plus horrible (une partie n'était tout simplement pas patinable). Bref, nous avons donc emprunté la 101 jusqu'à Goleta ( Hollyster Blvd) où les vélos doivent sortir de l'autoroute et emprunter les voies/pistes cyclables. Ces dernières se multiplient dans la ville, sur le campus universitaire et jusqu'à Santa Barbara. Les cartes de vélo du comté sont d'ailleurs ... read more

Good evening everyone! Once again, the internet is hit or miss for us. I'm sitting at the vanity countertop in Nick's bathroom (which is huge) to get a connection. The router is in his room and for some reason the rest of the house can't get it. I believe everyone is asleep, we had another big day……..but this time at the beach! We made good time yesterday and arrived at our house in Santa Barbara at 4pm. As you will see in the pictures, there is a hammock between 2 giant palm trees in the back yard and our view is pretty amazing. The house is on the side of a hill that is about 4 miles from the ocean, which we can see part of. Our rental is very spacious, which is important at this ... read more

After a whirlwind two weeks back home from our trip around Thailand and Malaysia we have arrived in California. The moment we arrived home I began ploughing through the mountain of post that had arrived while we'd been away, some of it junk mail but lots that needed urgent attention. Add to this the fact that our flight schedule to get here had been completely changed meaning the connections didn't work out any more. After spending over a week on the phone being tossed between Delta Airlines, Air France, and KLM we finally got it sorted out but instead of the nice easy change overs that we'd selected we ended up having to get up before the crack of dawn to get to the airport in Manchester and waiting around in Atlanta for 6 hours. By ... read more