Too bad my visit here with Kathryn is so short!  Honestly, it will be hard to leave here tomorrow.  We went on a long walk today, enjoying the lovely neighborhoods, State Street, and the wharves and beach.  We had a nice lunch at Opal’s and will go out again for a Mexican dinner this evening.

Once again, my story is told through photographs.  Enjoy.

Nothing to enjoy here! 100% Frustration. See description below!

Explanation for photo above:  There are 4 HDTV/DVD/Stereo/Direct TV Doby Digital systems in this house! Each comes with a tangle of wires, 4 remote controls (yes, we are talking 16 remote controls in this house), and we can’t even get ONE of them to work! This is completely ridiculous. And it isn’t for lack of trying. The owner of the property went through the very complex operating procedures with Kathryn on the first day we arrived. We were both really distressed about the cats who in turn were distressed after having been confined in their carriers for  8 hours (because the owner wasn’t here to let us in the house when we arrived (!!) and we ended up waiting another two stressful hours outside the house with the kitties losing their patience in their cat carriers) and his explanations were all a blur.  He later sent us a written document on how to work the system and, though we followed step by step, we were still befuddled by the chaotic wires and insane system.  All we wanted to do was to watch a movie!  When Kathryn texted the owner to let him know we couldn’t get any of the 4 systems to work, he texted us back saying the problem had to do with “User Error”.  Suffice to say, that text message was enough to make us grit our teeth!

Hey, we just got the sound system to work!  YEAH. Yeah for the Talking Heads!  Kathryn just turned the music up SUPER LOUD, just fine by me!

Labyrinth

Beach Boys here we are!  Great sound system! Cats are getting hyper!  So much fun to have baby leopards around!

On our walk today, we passed by an Episcopal church with this beautiful labyrinth . A labyrinth invites you to a meditative walk in a meditative space.  It is an ancient design that serves as a metaphor for life’s spiritual journey.  For thousands of years, pilgrims have walked labyrinths to find peace and healing.  The labyrinth in the photo above is a replica of the one in Chartres, France.  The labyrinth in Chartres dates back to 1200 and it is believed that the Chartres labyrinth was built over an ancient Druid labyrinth.  Kathryn has done lots of studies on labyrinths and what she shared with me today was quite fascinating.

My favorite photo from the wharf today! Pelicans on a rooftop.

Cigar puffin' fisherman at the wharf

collage from Santa Barbara neighborhood walks

sand sculpture artist (He asked for a donation for this photo! Thank you, Kathryn, for your generous contribution to this sand artist.)

Cactus and its fruit

Lunch at Opal's

The ubiquitous Prickly Pear! Good Ol' Christopher Columbus helped to spread this species of cactus all over the world. In Sicily, it is known as ficudinnia (the Italian name being fico d'India), Indian fig (because, you know, Columbus erroneously thought he was in India). Once, in Grotte, I went to the market with my Zia Tanina, while Rick stayed behind taking the opportunity to sleep in. When my aunt and I returned to her house after shopping, we found Rick with my cousin Bernardo eating the fruit of ficudinni! It is full of hard seeds that you simply must swallow. Rick was forcing the prickly pears down his gullet while Bernardo cheered him on, observing this Americano, as if my husband were part of a Scientific Experiment. My Aunt was fretting about the house saying, "OHMYGOD! How many Ficudinni has your husband eaten? You must find out! Oh Lord, help us all! Now he'll be constipated for days. I'll kill Bernardo for this." We learned that day that Ficudinni are famous for putting the workings of the intestines at a full stop!

Meditation Grove: One of the best features on this property, a beautiful peaceful meditation grove where Kathryn and I were surrounded by old growth trees, birdsong, and intoxicating air scented by Santa Barbara flora and sea...and no frustrating, complicated wires and systems that don't work. The only instructions needed here: Sit Back and Relax