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