I read a funny headline in The New York Times today, it said, “Forget the cold, it’s always sunny on Instagram”. That made me laugh because Steven and I had just had a conversation about the posts we put on Facebook. Do we overshare? Make things seem, I don’t know, a little too perfect?
There is no denying that when you travel with an awesome photographer, it may not always be sunny, but it’s sure gonna look fabulous. Of course, that’s never the whole story.
Scoopy tucked into her spot on the Rincon Parkway.
Steven and I have moved on from our “perfect” spot in the desert to the coast where we are set up on the Rincon Parkway, a Ventura County park right on the Pacific Ocean. Here the sun is either shining high in the sky warming the days into the 80s or setting on the ocean horizon in a fiery blaze of glory. The wind is calm, the waves are rolling in one after the other crashing on the rocks below our site. There are dolphins jumping and splashing and surfers paddling around waiting for just the right wave to ride to shore. There’s just an embarrassment of photographic riches, so, kind of perfect, right? Well, not exactly.
We had plenty of evening entertainment during our happy hour. Perfect!
Indeed we do have a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean, but only on the right side of Scoopy. Directly out our front windows we look at the butt end of a travel trailer and our neighbor’s awesome set-up, so mostly we keep our front curtains closed. Behind us is another travel trailer. Both have industrial generators they run periodically throughout the day. Outside the left windows, about eight feet away is the old Pacific Coast Highway, a very busy two-lane road. Across that road is a train track, and a few hundred yards from that is the six-lane Highway 101. (I think the folks on the Amtrak are looking at all of the RVs thinking “How fun!” and all of us RVers are looking at the Amtrak thinking, “How fun!”)
There’s not much between us and the Amtrak, or our neighbors outdoor set-up.
Between the road traffic, the trains and the neighbors, it is really loud here. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? But you know what else is deafening? The ocean. With its crashing, thunderous, beautiful, booming waves it drowns out almost everything else. Perspective is everything.
I took this photo from Highway 101. Scoopy is somewhere in that line of RVs.
Steven and I are pretty well synced on what “perfection” means to us. As we travel, we’ve gotten fairly adept at filtering out the distractions around us so that we can hone in on our Happy Place. Sometimes it’s obvious, like where we are now. Regardless of all that is around us, you really can’t beat that ocean view and those amazing Pacific sunsets.
Our Happy Place!
Other times the view has nothing to do with it. We once pulled into a butt ugly campsite where our view was of a dumpster, a metal building and a Port-a-Potty. We’d had a long, hard day of travel and we literally high-fived when we got a spot. We just closed our curtains, happy to be off the road and settled, our immediate needs having been met. Did we post a photo of that view on Facebook? Actually, we did.
Not the best view we’ve ever had, but it’s memorable.
Ultimately, perfection is a state of mind and mostly a choice. Steven and I choose to see that which makes us the most happy and content. It would be so easy to focus on all that is imperfect, because believe me, even if we don’t post a photo on Facebook, there’s always something. But that’s just not how we roll.
UP NEXT: California Dreamin’
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Life is what you make of it.
Beauty is in the eye of the holder.. Sounds perfect to us!!!.. Enjoy the sights and sounds and the ever changing view!!!
Stop whining, you spoiled brats! 🙂
Well said!
Ever-changing is right! Today we're in a thick fog and can barely see the water. We can hear it, though! 🙂
LOL! We are indeed spoiled! But we really do appreciate it. 🙂
It is always good to have a positive attitude:)
For us perfection is in the power of choosing. We get to choose our spots, and thus our views and noise levels, plus we choose to see the best parts of where we are and why we're there! I used to drive by that row of RVs and think "yuk!" for all the reasons you noted, but now I know we'd choose the ocean views and roaring waves and find it lovely. Great post Linda :-)))
Cheers to choosing to focus on the positive! We do the same, and are happier for it. Doesn't mean situations aren't sometimes challenging — I just don't want to make myself miserable by focusing on what isn't "perfect."
As always, you are spot on in your observations. Not unlike exactly what we found over the years. Love your spot, today I am jealous. But laughed out loud at the pic of the long line of RV's.
Great commentary, I am in full agreement, folks have enough of their own issues without me sharing the negative ones I have.
I can't wait for you to get your solar. You'll have so many more choices.
We've all met a few that don't have a positive attitude and it sure seems to affect them (and those of us around them) negatively. I'd much rather look at the sunny side of things. 🙂
There is always a challenge of some sort, right? It's part of what makes this lifestyle exciting. We all know we're going to get through it, so why be miserable?
That long line of RVs is kind of jaw-dropping. Lots have pulled out, but as soon as they do, another pulls in. We've never seen anything like it!
Thanks, JB. I'm certainly not above moaning and kvetching, but I try to keep it in check. Just ask Steven, he'll agree with me . . .:)
Long time reader/follower , first time commenter. I have waited with bated breath
for your trip. You must know for a lot of us out here this is the only way I will make it to Alaska is through your blog . Looking forward to your adventures and hoping you have a safe journey .
Thank you for following along! I have promised myself to keep up with the blog as we go, should be easy enough as we will have little to no Internet and TV on the way. I know Steven will make beautiful photos so stay tuned!