Half Moon Bay . . .

We went to Half Moon Bay on Saturday to meet the Hansens for lunch. The Art & Pumpkin Festival was taking place, so I wanted to check out some local costuming and pumpkin carving. There was a parade and lots of fun places to stop and eat. Sadly, it was a bit more crowded than we expected: we could barely move, let alone breathe! But, Half Moon Bay (and the drive we took to get there) was gorgeous--I look forward to visiting this spot again soon!

San Francisco . . .

On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, I went to San Francisco. I met with Meridian Gallery about teaching workshops during Fall and Spring. And, my friend from The University of Texas, Erik Parra, helps to manage and curate at Fivepoints Arthouse, where I am interested in submitting my work for shows. Erik and I had a great lunch, catching up, at Annabelle's. He took me around to several galleries in the area, and on my way back to the car, I stopped and looked at several large-scale window displays that were quite inspiring. I had a great time in San Francisco and look forward to going back very soon.

Maggie's Birthday!

This is Josh's beloved dog, Maggie. On Friday she celebrated her 6th birthday. She donned a crown and colorful fingerweavings in honor of her special day. After work, Josh and I drove her down to Santa Cruz to hang out on dog beach for a while. She had a blast!

The House, Part II.

This is the balcony coming off of our bedroom. It's a lovely little space!

Here's the bedroom looking out onto the balcony.

And, this is the kitchen: great lighting and beautiful hardwoods! A skylight is located right above the stove.

Check out the view from the shower!

And, this was taken looking out from my studio window.

More images of the house coming soon!! XOXO!

The House, Part I.

This is the front of the house, where we enter. We arrive at this point after a long-ish trek down some woodsy stairs. We use the deck for eating and entertaining guests.

This is the side of the house that leads to a small back porch.

The woodsy stairs: you can't see them, but I promise these are the stairs that lead up to the road and our parking spaces.

This is our firepit. Not to be lit until after the rainy season has passed . . . Can't wait!!

And, this is our rarely used small back porch.

For The Win.

So I kind of pride myself on late 80s/early 90s pop music. I'm not necessarily proud of this, but it was a pivotal point in my musical upbringing, so I remember a lot from this time period. And, when someone challenges my knowledge of, say, Paula Abdul, I'm happy to oblige.

Josh bet me a home-cooked meal that the title lyric to Ms. Abdul's song was "cold hearted slave". Please. The correct lyric is "cold hearted snake". I mean, I had the vhs of all of her videos in 10th grade and I watched MTV almost every waking hour of every day. I knew the dance featured in the video like the back of my hand . . . I had this in the bag: I got this.

So, la-ti-da . . . I won a meal!!

Rosemary Potatoes

Tenderloin steak marinated in Italian Dressing

Fresh Greens

It was super-fantastic: Josh is a great cook! I'm completely spoiled!

The Head Chef and the Sous Chef shake: congratulations on a job well done.

And, the Chef's to-do list . . . How's about that last task??!

Lucia's Birthday.

Josh's niece, Lucia, had her 2nd birthday party during my first week in California.

Watch an adorable video of the infamous birthday song here.

His parents were in town for the occasion. We ended up going to Salsalito over the weekend and hosting them at our house for spaghetti during the week. It was so nice to have them in town: we've already made our reservations to go to Delaware for Christmas--can't wait!!

Los Gatos, California.

So, I've moved. I now live in Los Gatos, California. I apologize for not telling [you] sooner. Josh lives in California, and ever since we started dating, the goal has always been to move there. The decision came faster than expected because the right time seemed to be now: I had just finished graduate school and nothing was tying me to Baltimore.


Los Gatos is about 55 miles South of San Francisco, and 20 miles North of Santa Cruz. It's definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived. It reminds me of Tuscany: the landscape and the scenery is almost the same!

My two roommates: Josh is a graduate student at Drexel University and a Senior Quality Engineer at BAE Systems in Santa Clara. Maggie is an avid beach-goer, and a nap & food enthusiast. We are having so much fun getting to know each other! Lot's more on life in California to come: stay tuned!

Wedding in Florida.

In early September, Josh invited me to Florida for his cousin's wedding. I flew down and met him in Pensacola. We rented a car and drove to his aunt's house in Shalimar.

I got to see his mother, Linda, and sister, Heather, for the first time in 28 years. Heather has a beautiful family: husband, Peter and daughter, Lucia. I was also introduced to Josh's extended family. It was really wonderful!

Josh Visits Bmore . . .

Towards the end of August, Josh Lynch came to visit me in Baltimore. We toured the city through food. One of the best meals we had was at Miss Shirley's. I had chicken and waffles and it was amazing!

Wisconsin Install . . .

In August, I was invited up to Wisconsin to install a piece for a show at Exvoto Gallery. I was in Medford for one week and had a blast . . .