Vanchella Vagabonds

Since we were under stay-at-home orders December and January, most of our recent activity has centered around our daily walks, experiencing 'winter' in the area for the first time. We've also had some fun food explorations and discoveries. Even sticking close to home, there is always a beautiful sunset to enjoy! A spot we have hiked several times is the Douglas Family Preserve . If one starts at the base at the parking lot of Hendry's Beach, this lollipop trail has a bit of a climb up, but it ends in a plateau with gorgeous views.  Working our way to the top John likes to sit on the log and enjoy this view. Emily really likes this hike. Right, you can see Hendry's Beach and Goleta Pier / UCSB in the distance. The preserve consists of 70 acres on a mesa, and it is the largest open coastal space in Santa Barbara. Over many years, money was collected from many people to save this land for public space once the original property was sold. Actor Michael Douglas made a la...

2020: Year of the Pandemic has taught us to live in the moment and accept we are exactly where we are supposed to be. As I recently wrote to a friend, I have observed the yin-yang flow of life so much this year, seeing the poles of each situation changing and shifting. For example, it was very down that our years of retirement planning travel went up in flames this year, while it is very up that we get to 'live' in California at the beach and spend lots of time with Emily. That said, the Vagabonds are actually back on track to our initial retirement travel schedule (at least for the next couple of months), as we had intended to spend the ThanksMasEve holidays with Emily in California.  We kicked off the holiday season this weekend with Emily hosting a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday we returned to her place and put up her Christmas decorations, then headed back to ours for the annual celebration of George Harrison, watching Concert for George. Emily played along with ...