Anaheim and Santa Barbara, part II.

As much as I thought Santa Barbara was wonderful, I just didn't want to stay for another 4 days. The road has planted a bug in my blood and it is where I feel free, now.

On Sunday I drove the rental car, a nice Toyota Camry, 130 miles South to Anaheim with my stuff and the Bratty Cat to the PPFA convention (Professional Picture Framers Association). The convention and trade show was held Saturday through Tuesday. I was able to arrive in time for some classes on Monday.

I registered for the trade show a week in advance, mainly because I could do so for free. As much as I wanted to register for classes, I did not want to pay for them knowing I may not be able to attend if I could be in the area. Also, it was not in the budget. As it turned out though, my luck had changed. An angel from the Grumble offered me her passes for several classes she registered and paid for. Cathy Coggins (i-m-chickie), a grumbler from Florida was unable to make her reservation and so generously offered them to me. Karma is surely about to be very kind to her. I am still thinking of a nice way to say thank you.

Speaking of the kindness of my Grumble friends, I want it to be known how very generous and kind Mark (artrageous) has been. After I posted my car troubles on the grumble, Mark, quickly offered me a solution that was so kind in spirit and off the generosity chart by miles. He suggested I ship the car back to the East Coast and fly back using his Southwest sky miles!!! It was an offer that really made me want to take him up on it. The solution was very sound and would have saved me a great deal of money. I happen to be pretty stubborn (thank you Gram!) and find extreme difficulty in accepting others generosity. It's in my genes. So on I go.....

Thanks again, Mark. You now occupy a very special place in my heart

Back to the convention. I had a great time, which I desperately needed. I am such a frame geek that just talking about picture framing makes me feel good. Learning more about it is nirvana! The instructors are industry leaders who are deservedly well respected. I often feel like I am in the company of celebrities when I am near them. And the greatest thing is that each one of them is as accessible and approachable as any one else. Thank you all!

I drove back to Santa Barbara, yesterday so I could retrieve my newly repaired car. It felt good knowing my car has been taken care of, looked over and ready for the 3000 mile trip. I returned the rental car this morning and took my car back. The total bill was a very bitter pill to swallow and now I have no choice but to cut this trip short and head back East at a much quicker pace.

Agoura Hills, 40 or so miles South of Santa Barbara, was where my next grumble visit occurred. Alisa Spaulding, owner of The Frame Gallery, is a beautiful lady with a beautiful shop! But naturally, the reason I truly loved her shop was Kitty, a 17 year old Siamese cat who is so gosh darn cute, I couldn't keep my hands off her! Kitty's name is short for an Australian name I can't remember. And neither can Alisa's customers, hence, the name Kitty. While visiting with Alisa and petting Kitty, my bratty cat, Sabastian, was in the car, and I know even he, who does not get along with other cats, would have fallen for Kitty. How could he not? She is a beautiful blue eyed older gal!

Alisa purchased her frame shop from her father and has been in business for about 17 years. It is obviously successful due to Alisa's hard work and determination. I have always been a firm believer in keeping a frame shop fresh by changing things often. Alisa subscribes to this belief as well, by changing the art themes on the walls every month and half or so! Awesome!

After leaving Agoura Hills and getting on the freeway, the check engine light came on in the car! My spirits sank quickly. I pulled off the freeway and into a shopping center and lost my battle with the no tears pact I made with myself. How could this be happening? After I left a message for the Santa Barbara mechanic to call me, I called my best friend, Barbara, for some direction. She always knows what to say to calm me down or to help me see things more clearly. During our conversation, Matt, the service guy from the Toyota dealership returned my call. He gave re-assurance that he would take care of it but not to worry as long as the check engine light was not blinking. He recommended I take the car to my planned destination and then find another dealership to run a diagnostic on it. I really wanted to drive back to Santa Barbara and have them look at it, but I ended up taking Matt and Barbara's advise to keep going as long as the car was running well, which it was.

I continued toward San Diego a total emotional wreck while driving in the slow lane anticipating the need to pull into the breakdown lane. Fortunately I didn't need to do that, but I did end my days trip about 60 miles short of my destination. I could not take it any more and just wanted to get out of the car. The road wasn't feeling so free anymore.

Maybe a good nights sleep will clear my head of this ridiculous notion of calling Mike to beg for him to take me back. That sounds attractive, doesn't it? An ex-girlfriend who is jobless, homeless and begging to return. Oooohhh.... pretty, huh?

Yeah. Not gonna happen

I was not supposed to spend a week in Santa Barbara. Well not with out a job, that is. The car problem became a big problem. It's not just the money to repair my car that is troublesome but the time it will take to repair it. A bolt that is needed for the fix is being shipped from LA. My car will not be ready until Tuesday. 7 days after my car broke down.

Many people would see this as a wonderful predicament to be in. I suppose if you are going to be stranded some where, Santa Barbara is better than most anywhere. It's like the French Riviera; A beautiful ocean side tropical paradise! If I had someone to share it with, I would agree. But having just left the man I loved and lived with for 3-1/2 years, with anticipation of another 40 years, being alone in such a place as this is emotional torture. I have too much time on my hands to resist thinking about how much I want to be with him. Something very disturbing to me, is the fact that I now can not remember the reasons I wanted to leave him. All I can remember are the good times.

Back to Thursday. I visited another Grumbler, David Beardon, Owner of Santa Barbara Frame Shop & Gallery (www.santabarbaraframeshop.com ). Another beautiful shop with some wonderful original paintings adorning the walls. From what I could observe, his location is top rate; A downtown street with lots of traffic. David is a friendly guy who is always willing to help out a fellow framer. We didn't have much trouble talking about framing and business. His framing competitors are many, the closest is across the street from him! There are 28 shops for a population of 86,000 people! And I thought Napa had too many with 13 shops for 75,000 residents.

I love how small this world is sometimes. As David and I were talking, I mentioned a gallery frame shop in San Rafael and how at one point earlier last year I had wanted to purchase it as it went up for sale. I was not able to do so but as I mentioned the new owner who had recently taken over, David said he had met her while she was in his shop asking questions. San Rafael and Santa Barbara are approximately 300 miles apart. That is very cool!

The Frame-Up in Goleta (just North of Santa Barbara) was my next stop (www.theframe-up.com). It was an unplanned visit, as I saw it while I was looking for lunch. I walked in and introduced my self as a framer passing through. Lance immediately asked me if I wanted a job!! I was so surprised that I stuttered a bit and replied "I could stick around this area for the right offer."
Actually, it was not Lance looking to hire a framer, but the gentleman who is about to purchase the business from him. Yes, you guessed it, Lance is giving up his long standing career in framing. The economy has gotten to another one! But don't feel bad for him. It's what he wants and he is excited about his new future. Best of luck to him!

Santa Barbara and car troubles

Today started out nicely, in San Luis Obispo. I had arrived the night before and was unable to see how beautiful of a place it is. It's a beautiful small city nestled in the mountains of the Pacific Coast. After I checked out of the motel I drove around the downtown area. It is a very nice and quaint area busy with lots of people.

My next destination was 98 miles South on Route 101, to Santa Barbara. I had not planned to stop in any frame shops in SLO, but I happened to pass by Frame Works just before entering the freeway. I did a u-turn and stopped in to say hi. I was very glad I did. It's a very nice shop ( http://www.sloart.com ).

After being greeted by Sara Egerer, the first framed art I quickly noticed was the 2009 PPFA competition piece, an antique necklace replica. It was beautifully framed and adorned by 3 ribbons! I had framed the same necklace. That was my first PPFA competition entry which placed 3rd in our local chapter! I won't mention that there were only 5 entries. But in defense of my design reputation, it was a last minute decision to enter. I had just 8 hours to design and complete.

Sara was very welcoming and happy to speak with a visiting framer. And then I met Ali Semon, Frame Works proprietor and member of the Grumble. She is a lovely lady who purchased her business from her parents. So, I bet she knows her framing stuff!

After leaving SLO, the next stop was a short drive. Pismo Beach is another gorgeous small town with a long pier and lots of people fishing, surfing and hanging out. It was a warm day, about 80 degrees, so leaving Sabastian The Brat in the car while I walked around, was not an option. I packed him up in the pet pack, a backpack worn in the front, and strolled down the pier. We gained a great deal of attention. So many people think it is funny to see another walking with a cat they feel compelled to stop me and say hi. I spoke, at length with a retired couple who wanted to know about me and then proceeded to tell me all about the places I should see in my travels, as they are RV'ers and had seen it all. Unfortunately I had a hard time paying attention to them. Sabastian was extremely figitty and there were many annoying tiny flies buzzing all around me and getting into my ears and eyes, ugh!

Car troubles. That was next in my journey South. I knew it was a possibility. My little Toyota RAV 4 has just over 150,000 miles on it. So there I sat on the side of the highway waiting for Triple A to tow me to the Toyota dealership. About the only good thing was I was only a few miles from my days destination of Santa Barbara. Oh, and the fact that I had just purchased my AAA membership two days prior!! Phew!

Sitting in my broken vehicle gave me an hour to think about my situation and what I wanted to do. Crying was NOT going to happen! I needed to buck up and deal with it. The moment bore an internal struggle with myself which has yet to produce a winner. Part of me wants to end this journey and make a bee line to the East Coast to be with my family. The other part wants to experience all I can and take as long as I can to do it. My finances will help determine the end result. I am waiting to hear what the problem is with my car, and how much it will effect my bank account.

Stay tuned,
Becky

San Luis Obispo

Tuesday. The beginning of my journey has taken on a slow start. I drove a total of 70 miles on Monday. 240 miles today.

On Monday I did not leave Napa until 4pm. Yes, I was dragging my feet. The last goodbye I had to say was going to be the hardest; and it was so. Tears fell from both of our eyes. It is kind of funny (in some strange way) that the last time I saw tears in his eyes was the time he told me, for the first time, that he loved me. We were standing on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean as the sun was setting from Patricks Point in Northern California. I turned to look at him and saw his tears as he said the words. It came as a surprise to me. Not that he loved me, but the moment took me by surprise. I said it back to him and meant it. As we walked back to our campsite in the dark, a smile crept up on my face that could have illuminated the way back. I'll miss him tremendously.

So with emotions safely back in the box, I made a grumble visit, today, to see PaulSF in San Mateo. My first thought upon walking into his shop was "Wow, very nice place." It's a beautifully laid out shop and pleasant to be in. If I were to own a frame shop, I would want it to be very much like that. Rob Markoff would be pleased to know, there was almost no framed art on the floor!

Paul is a very likable guy. It makes me sad that I will not be visiting him again. Also, Paul does more than picture framing. He makes some very cool pens. Check them out:

www.thegrumble.com

You may not be able to view the photos unless you are a signed in grumble member. The photo at the top of this post is one of Pauls handmade pens!



Lets go back to Monday for a moment. I made another grumble visit. Although, it was much less of a grumble visit than it was a visit to a friend to say so long. Doug, aka W.C. Framer, who is one of my fellow Napa grumblers, was in his shop eating lunch. Why do I have this knack of interrupting others during lunch? Anyway, I will miss Doug. I have enjoyed getting to know him in person as well as on the grumble. His sense of humor is like a dip in the hot tub after a long hard day; a relief. Thanks for all the smiles. And thanks for sharing some of the cookies sent to you from i-m-chickie!! They were yummy!

Another Napa grumbler, Carol Collins, will be missed, too. I was just getting to know her. I think we could have been good friends with a little more time. Carols frame shop is in the same shopping center as the frame shop I worked in. She was a welcoming respite during my walk back from coffee break.

The world of picture framing has some wonderful people in it. I have been fortunate to get to know so many of them.

Becky

The time is here..... almost. Tonight is my last night in the house I have called home for the last three and a half years. Everything I have done today has begun or ended with the thought "this is the last time I will see or do this here."

For the past month and a half I have been putting aside my feelings about leaving my home, my boyfriend (ex), my friends and the beauty of the Napa Valley and Northern California. Not thinking about leaving things I care about has made it easier to deal with the process of moving back East. Emotions are messy. I imagine the dam will burst after I leave the driveway for the last time. But then again, maybe the excitement of the open road and no plan to be anywhere at any particular time will keep the sadness at bay. I have an adventure ahead of me. I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeing things I have never laid eyes upon.

Bittersweet. But mostly bitter, at this moment.

Becky

Next week I will be moving away from the San Francisco Bay area. I will head South to Santa Barbara, LA and San Diego before heading to the East Coast (New Hampshire), to be with my family once again. It would be great to visit as many Custom Frame Shops as I can along my journey.

It is also my hope to find some framing work as I go. As it stands right now, I do not have a specific time frame to arrive on the East Coast, it will all depend upon what interesting adventures I can find along the way. I would love for the picture framing community to share in this adventure by helping with suggestions, ideas, opinions and hopefully some invitations to work for a few hours, a few days or a few weeks at any frame shop in need of a little extra help. So if you or anyone you know could use some help from a 15 year veteran framer, please contact me.

This adventure is not being planned to "just find work" along the way, but more as a way to get to know and learn from some of my framing peers through work, story telling and quick stops just to say hi. I am very passionate about framing and I love the people who make a living at it. I am very excited at the prospect of meeting many new friends, and writing about it as I go. Please help me fill those pages.

If you want more information about me, please ask.

Thanks, looking forward to meeting you!!

Becky