Preface

This book grew over twenty years of daily roamings along a strand of lightly traveled California coastline. Bordered on the north by Newport Beach and the small coastal village of Corona del Mar and on the south by Laguna Beach, Crystal Cove State Park includes over 3 miles of ocean front. I first knew the area as Horse Beach, an informal name used by locals because of the stable on the bluff top. Later when the land was purchased for a state park, it officially became Crystal Cove State Park.

As I returned from my walk each morning, renewed and ready for the day ahead, I felt drawn to my brushes and journal, eager to record the moments I valued. These excursions on the beach evolved into meaningful interludes of reflection on the life I had followed through marriage, child raising and finally leisure time for projects of my choice. Gradually these moments built one upon the other, casting their hues over my mental palette as well as my paintings.

As the beach changed, so did I. While I loved sunny days, I also learned to appreciate misty fog-filled mornings from which some of my most soul touching experiences emerged. Participating in each day's adventure with its movement from tide line to relationships, rocky ledges to challenges, churning sea to fresh opportunity, spun a story so rich and varied I needed not only to record it, but to share it with all who would walk with me. I invite you on my coastal beachwalks, my small journeys of discovery. They have served me well in navigating the turns of life. May they provide a gentle companion for your journey.