"Everywhere You Look It's Beautiful"

So said my mother many times during the years we lived in Santa Barbara, California--that which I call "my home town."  Yes, you might well ask, "So why do you now live in a climate that you say is not fit for man or beast!"  Well, that's a long, long story that I won't even begin to attempt here.  But this year, it's sending me back to my roots for a winter interlude.  A place I haven't spent any time in for nearly 50 years.

I must say, it's great to be back because it's 1) warm, 2) sunny, and 3) quite stunningly beautiful.  There's also no potential whatsoever for snow since it's been in the high 70's since my arrival.

I agreed with my mother then, and I still do:  everywhere you look, it's beautiful.  In fact, Santa Barbara has been called the American Riviera.

Here, then, are a few pictures as an introduction ... some taken many years ago.  I'll be here six weeks, so you'll be seeing lots more in the weeks to come.  In fact, it's so different, it feels like a foreign country.

The Santa Barbara Mission has been called the Queen of the Missions--of those built along the California coast in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Mission's arcade.

Sunrise down by the beach

East Beach

Ice plant ... which my mother always called by its other name, Mesembryanthemum

One of my mother's photos of the Santa Barbara harbor

Prickly pear cactus

California poppies ... probably designated the state flower because they are golden ... and the state's motto is "The Golden State."