Memories by Michelle travels to Cambria, California | Memories by Michelle Photography

01.20.12 Cambria – Day One: “Breathe”

This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend a child-free weekend in Cambria on the Central Coast of California with my friend, Elena, or “E” as I like to call her. (Because, you know, Elena is faaar too many syllables.)

E and I have been friends for about 16 years at this point. She was the first friend I made in the U.S. when I interned at a talent agency in Los Angeles where she worked, and we have remained in touch over the years through our respective blogs (you can check hers out here) and, more recently through Facebook. It’s funny but I think she would agree that we know one another much better through our online presence than we ever did when we used to see one another frequently in person. You can learn so much about someone from their reflections and thoughts on a blog and E is not only a great writer, she’s super-smart and crazy-witty too. She’s one of those friends that challenges you to be better just by being around her. I love that.

It was a 5 hour drive down to Cambria from Sacramento with only my adult music (no kids’ music!) and my thoughts to keep me company. I left early and watched the sun come up on the uninterrupted eastern horizon and basically zoned out. BLISS.

After cutting through the dusty plains of the Central Valley (now known as the California “Dust Bowl” due to some government meddling in water rights) I finally climbed into the Santa Lucia mountains and pulled over to get this shot. I think this was the point, after a tough week, where I finally began to exhale.