The first week of my 2-week California trip was spent with good friends & fun family in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The drive up the Pacific Coast Highway filled me with an appreciation for nature. The view from our Pacific cliffside rustic cabin mesmerized me.
And the smell in Big Sur! The herby scent of fresh pine, ocean, wild fennel and other herbs just hung in the air. I swear nature never smelled so good to me.
My senses may have been a little more open than usual — considering we had no TV and no cell service to distract. At first, I found the Internet connection in our remote location frustratingly slow. But it meant that I gave up on surfing the web, and instead let my gaze wander over to the surf of the ocean — a much better view anyway.
I spent the last weekend of my trip in Los Angeles, staying with good friends Anne and Ernie. We had not seen each other in nearly ten years, but it was like no time had passed. Conversation flowed easily, and I rested well in the comfort of their home.
The last day of our trip was my birthday, and I spent the morning with my cousin whom I had never met. If the earlier part of my trip was defined by REST and RELAXATION, this particular morning was more like REV UP, REINVIGORATE, and REVIVIFY.
I’ve known about my celebrity cousin my whole life, but my extended family was never close, so our paths never crossed. I knew he lived in LA, so when I decided on California for vacation, I wrote to him to see if he was open to meeting.
He was!
I was nervous the morning of our meeting. We are second cousins and I didn’t know how he would respond to having a surprise cousin. He might think I’m a stalker or something!
For years I’ve been aware of his good in the area of health and exercise. And I wanted to see it for myself.
I was not disappointed!
So……just who is this celebrity cousin, you ask?
Scroll down to see.
Me with my cousin Richard at his studio
To read about our time together, go to the next post!