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“You and me with our long hair on the gold one…
You should see there’s a place I want to take you”

-Beach House

Wilcox Property

And that place is the Wilcox Property. My friend, Gibson (pictured above), introduced me to the band Beach House a little bit ago. I enjoyed their music and I thought there song Levitation really reminded me of what I did today. Today was my friend, Grace’s birthday (also pictured above). She is a loving and thee most positive girl, who is always ready to adventure and try new things. So of course Grace wanted to go somewhere adventurous and decided to have everyone trek up to East Camino Cielo with her. Sadly, it was too windy up there, but we ended up at the Wilcox Property on the Mesa. I have been going to the Wilcox Property lately, and I think it is one of the most beautiful places in Santa Barbara. It is a piece of land with wild grass and eucalyptus trees just above Hendry’s Beach. The view of the ocean is spectacular because you get to see the dolphins leaping, the seal drifting, the birds diving, and a surfer paddling. It seems that people go there to meditate or just take a calming, scenic walk.

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I was there to celebrate Grace’s birthday. I was so happy that I could be in this beautiful place with my good friends I have known for awhile. Even though we don’t get to see each other all the time, when we are together it is like no time has passed. They are the type of people who push you to your limits and lift you up to your greatest potential. The type of people who wouldn’t buy you a cake on your birthday, but bake it from scratch. There is nothing like being in a special place with people you love and care about celebrating life and birthdays.

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I recommend going to the Wilcox Property when you are stressed, have some time to kill, or just want to go to a really cool place. When you get there, walk straight, and you will see a down hill trail. You might get thrown off because there is a giant, fallen eucalyptus tree in the middle of the rocky trail, but if you go to the right of it, you can go around. Bring some study shoes like converse because I saw a few friends take a slip due to not wearing decent shoes. This might sound off-putting, but is really not as bad as it sounds I promise. Once you get down the short 100 feet or so trail, you will arrive at a meadow-like perch above the ocean. It is very secluded, and not many people go down there because they don’t think it is a through trail.

Go there this weekend, bring a picnic, good tunes, and have a great time.

Much love and peace,

Charlotte

More Pictures Below. All pictures were taken by Charlotte Wall (me).

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LIZARD’S MOUTH

Sometimes you wonder, “Why do I feel sad or mad or just the weird feeling?” Then, you drive up a mountain away from everything, and look at the sun slowing moving down to the horizon. All the negativity goes away. It is amazing what nature can do to you.

This past weekend, I met up with my friends, Jameson and Kelsey, at 4:30 and drove up the 154, took a left onto the windy back road up to Lizard’s Mouth. Lizard’s Mouth got it’s name because there is a rock there in the shape of a lizard’s mouth. It is also well known for rock climbers. For my friends and I, we jump to rock to rock until we find the “perfect” rock. Every time I go up there I try to find the rock I was at the time before, but it is really hard because the whole place consists of rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Many times I will go away from my friends and find my on rock so I can be by myself to reconnect with nature.

Spending so much time inside being in school and having a boatload of homework, can take a toll on yourself and your body. This school year for me has been tough because I started a new school. The academics are not bad, or the teachers, or the kids because most of my friends go here, but I feel stuck inside all day. Last year, I went to an alternative school where we took four bike trips each year going to places like Sedona, Arizona to to Ashland, Oregon. I was used to just having these adventures planned for me, instead of me planning them for my own.

To conclude, there are things in life that I really appreciate like being with my friends and looking out towards Santa Barbara with the sun setting onto the ocean at Lizard’s Mouth.

Much Love and Peace,

Charlotte