After spending a few days with Ryan in Studio City and taking a drive out to Palm Springs for the day, I was happy to be out of the awful Airbnb and heading north to Santa Barbara to spend the next three days with Betsy.

After another enormous thunder and lightning and rain storm yesterday morning, we had a lovely drive up the coast, stopping in Camarillo at the outlet mall to do something neither of us much like doing - shopping! But we both needed some stuff and we had to get the bug spray and sunscreen etc. And I needed another bathing suit and some shorts. I just don't understand people who can spend all day just going from shop to shop, browsing. It's exhausting! But we were successful in our endeavors, scoring some good stuff - shorts and sun protection shirts so I don't absolutely shrivel up in the tropical Belizean sun. Even here, in what is still technically winter, I can feel myself burning, so I have to be very, very careful!

By the time we got home it was cocktail hour. Tara, Betsy's room mate came home and we had a very lively evening which I regretted this morning. You'd think I would know better by now than to have that last drink - such a good gin, Death's Door! And that is what I felt like this morning.

But we went for a great walk which definitely cleared my head, much as the rain cleared the sky, athough I must say the sky was clearer than my head. We discussed some ideas we have - ways to make some money, start a small business and this trip is going to be a test run and I will describe the idea when it is more fleshed out. I think it's a good one - not new. We talked about doing it last time Betsy was up in Washington, visiting. But now, I think, is the time. This evening and tomorrow, we will put our heads together and sort out some of the details.

Santa Barbara is such a pretty area. The harbor is wonderful, still with all the fishing boats and the wharf which really hasn't changed much in the last few decades. I remember doing a photo project for college when I was about 25. And I think some of the boats that I took pictures of, are still there! That was when I did all my own film processing and printing - something I just loved to do. Working in the darkroom was always so much more fun than sitting at a computer, digitally processing the images. Oh well.... Progress I suppose.