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...

  We found a hotel just for us while we were vagabonding this year! This is what we were supposed to do. This is what we did. Well, it's been an interesting journey and year since we set out about this time last year! Thanks to the pandemic, and then to people's refusal to behave and a lack of leadership, we never went on nor began our retirement journey to travel and explore the places we had researched as potential retirement destinations. That, obviously, is a disappointment. However, pandemic issues aside, we have had a pretty good year. Some highlights: We got to try out Vagabonding and learn what works and doesn't (more on that below) We were able to be with Emily during uncertain times, as well as to watch firsthand her journey of finishing up her degree and looking for a job We spent the majority of the year in our favorite state , and most of that in our favorite city   (Special shout out to local Santa Barbara friends Kristen and Nancy Wood for helping us dig deep...

Our current tiny house is not as posh as our last place. It's a bit like staying at your grandparents' place, but as they say in real estate, location, location, location.  You can see our current neighborhood, More Mesa Shores, from Goleta Pier. It is just to the right of John's left glasses lens in the photo above. This places us a lot closer to Emily's apartment and some of our more regular haunts.  The neighborhood has its own private access to More Mesa Beach. Unfortunately, it is a .5 mile walk, then a descent (and corresponding ascent) down a steep walkway, followed by lots of steps. Our knees aren't up to that kind of workout. However, there is a cozy bench at the top to enjoy the beautiful ocean view and sounds, which we have done multiple times. The neighborhood also has direct access to More Mesa. We visited More Mesa with Emily back in Fall 2018, but accessed it from a different spot. She had previously visited with a meditation group and thought we woul...