“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.”
~ Unknown

Whenever Larry and I are at our house in Ventura, we make it a point to take a walk to the beach before dinner. Invariably, if the weather is good and the conditions are right for a spectacular sunset, there will be dozens of people sitting on the sand, cameras in hand waiting to be wowed. Yesterday’s sunset did not disappoint. All day long, the sky seemed like it was gearing up to deliver the goods. There were lots of wispy clouds floating in a powder blue sky. If the clouds held and didn’t burn off, then we were sure to have a more spectacular pre-dinner stroll than usual.

At the appointed hour, we arrived at the beach and as expected a crowd had gathered. The air was balmy and heavy with a pinkish tinted mist. Children and dogs ran in and out of the ocean. The crowd “oohed and aahhed” as the sky went from periwinkle blue, to rose to deep amber. When the sun finally slipped into the Pacific everyone applauded.

It’s so reassuring to know that even in these very jaded times, something as elemental as a sunset can bring total strangers together and elicit such a response. These simple, sublime moments are so frequent here. It’s virtually impossible not to love this place.

It seems like so many of the wedding traditions the modern bride performs originated in Medieval Europe. For instance, back then it was considered good luck for guests to help themselves to a piece of the bride’s dress. In order to keep her outfit from being ruined by evening’s end, some crafty bride thought of removing and throwing her garters to the guests.

“Thus even the highest work of art, yet, the loftiest reputation, is nothing in comparison with the passionate kiss of a woman one loves.”
~ Charles Fuster

Placing a penny in a shoe is a European tradition thought to bring the bride good luck and fortune. Recently a bride’s mother mentioned that she was going to have her daughter’s lucky penny mounted into a gold bracelet for her. Such a lovely keepsake and heirloom.