Cultural Events - My first "First Friday" downtown with many friends and a few new acquaintances stopping by was fun! "Mosaic" theatre/dance/live music with a kaleidoscopic conversion on computer to large screen as modern dance pieces were performed, looking very "mosaic-y"  like Moorish tiled rooms...Tanniversary - There have been great art, music, dance developments at the Tannery where many artists live and work in their apartments and shared art workspaces and galleries... a talk on Mountain Lions at the Crepe Place...outdoor concerts including Broken English at Capitola Beach...fireworks in Scotts Valley, the Fringe Festival, Rick Sammons at CSUMB on Exploring Light in Photography..."No Impact Man" and "A Place at the Table," films related to food and the environment, both recommended and available through local libraries.  I love all of the activity and interactivity now at the Museum of Art and History - so much livelier and more inclusive of diverse age groups and interests than in the past...

First Blog Entry!
June 2013 has started out well, with our new garden on its way, providing kale, arugula, green flying-saucer-shaped  squash, and promises of tomatoes, peas and winter squash later this summer. Two concerts at the beach had crowds of colorful folk of all ages dancing and celebrating the start of summer, even though it isn't Summer Solstice yet...And First Friday downtown has become a favourite year-round occurrence, with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) taking a lead in providing music, art activities for all ages, and creative happenings to accompany the visual art displays.

The first few days of June were spent in Chico and Grass Valley, swimming in the river at Bidwell Park, seeing the homes of three sets of friends/extended family, eating the most delicious apricots and cherries, holding a lovely week-old baby boy, and feeling the heat - 100 degrees or thereabouts. It was my first time exploring there and I enjoyed it.

Three days of last week were spent in Big Sur; 7 of us camped there for two nights. On the drive down we stopped to view the otters near Moss Landing, walk to the end of Carmel River Beach, picnic at Point Lobos , and pause at the River Inn before heading to our wonderfully quiet campsite. A sunny sunset and starry night with an apricot-colored sliver of new moon were ours before the coastal fog came in for the night. We hiked inland near Partington Cove and did a loop up to near the Tin House and back down a fire road...We saw patches of columbine, redwoods, and lots of flowers and varied foliage, and heard the sounds of small waterfalls.

Next month I'll have my first First Friday event, at Pure Pleasure, at 204 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 
(Phone: 831.466.9870)  Come on over and check out my Fertile Imagination - Luscious Nature show displayed high on the walls above the sex shop items.   The art opening will take place on Friday July 5 from 6:30-8:30pm. See you there if you dare!