Fort Bragg

Wyoming or the Black Hills, SD!

Ft Bragg is an awesome place - I lived there when I read the Atonement Child (one of my favorite books!) and thought it was so cool that you wrote about FB. BTW, you have a huge following of fans there! The ladies at the Calvary Chapel there introduced me to your books and I've been ever grateful for that! I'm now in Missouri, but Ft Bragg will always have a special place in my heart.

Cambria, California is a lovely little town on the central coast about an hour south on Monterey. In the past it was mainly used for quicksilver mining and fishing, and has more recently become popular for dairy and lumbering. It is relatively undiscovered, but it seems that some Italians have been let in on the secret because in August I heard so many Italian accents that I was able to pretend I was in Italy! My mom and I went into a spa for hot stone massages with stones picked up straight from of the beach where the perfectly formed stones lie in abundance. There is barely any cell service on any cell provider except for those who have Cellular One which makes it feel like a secluded getaway, but in reality the growing city of San Luis Obispo is not very far at all. The view from many of the small, cozy inns consist of not only ocean, but forest and furry critters too. Hearst Castle may also be able to be seen nearby sitting atop a hill in all of its glory. Many of the restaurants take advantage of locally grown olallieberries by baking them into pies and cobblers. A popular place with the locals, Indigo Moon makes the best burgers I have ever had. In a word, Cambria is just plain cute! I don’t think any of the locals have one mean bone in their bodies. I have a feeling there are more people like me bragging about this place, so jump on the bandwagon now before too many people find out about this gem of a town!

My husband and I have been going to Mission Beach in San Diego for over twenty years. We have seen many sites across Western & Midwest USA but always long for the relaxing times we have at Mission Beach. We go during the off season when the crowds are gone the boardwalk is quiet.

South of France - My husband enjoy the region of Provence and the coastal area. One of the things we enjoy most is the slower pace of life there. Dinner is not a rushed fast meal, it is an event that lasts at least 2 hours if not more. We have had the pleasure of sharing discussing regional and national differences with people not just from France, but also England, Belgium, and people from other parts of the U.S. The meals are more like feasts, and we always leave wishing to bring the experience back to the US.

Ah, Francine, your sharing about Fort Bragg "takes me back there." Actually, I go back there in "spirit" quite often. I remember all the times I was at MacKerricher Park before dawn to catch the beauty of it...photos of the ocean pink as a soft baby's blanket, or orange and navy blue as if angry. And the Botanical Gardens! I lived but a few blocks away, and shot a roll of film at the gardens at least once a week. The downtown buildings are marvelous; I remember well meeting so many people when I took part in craft fairs at the "Old Company Store."

And then there's the crisis pregnancy center that's there largely because of you...still going. Hope you drove by when you were there. The building ended up looking so nice when the ministry finally began it's work in May of 2005.

Next time you visit, say hello to all its beauty for me.
--Kathy Lyden