the old stomping grounds:

Last weekend's San Diego trip was wonderful--absolutely wonderful--and I found that I kept stepping out of myself, that I kept feeling inspired, that I kept getting struck.

I was struck by how everything can change. And how nothing changes. 

I was struck by how lucky I am to have lived in such a beautiful place, to have lived for years with the beach as my front yard, the bay as my backyard. 

I was struck by the comfort of friendship, by the way we all seem to snap right back into our puzzle piece positions. By how odd and how lovely it can feel to dive right into our familiar roles from the past.

I was struck by the way people and places we've loved can be different from the way we remember them. How sometimes, I realized, they're even better.

... but mostly I was struck by all the blue. If the midwest were a color, I'd say that it's green--but San Diego? San Diego is blue. Cerulean blue. Gorgeously sun-drenched and blue. 

(Photos: my flickr)