seaquest.

i had the privilege of living, last year, at seaquest ranch.


it was in the foothills of olivenhain, a tiny community nestled between rancho santa fe, carlsbad, and encinitas.


i lived 3 miles up a winding road, and to get there, you had to pass million dollar homes, stables with thoroughbred horses in them. you drove until the dirt stopped and then you drove another mile straight up. when you got to the top, you saw the sign for the natural habitat and it was all sagebrush and manzanita and eucalyptus and cactus.


it was like mexico.


the woman with lots of mascara and who had raised two sons there had built the house with her husband. there was a barn and a tire swing and 360 degree views- east were hills, dotted with the occasional house, north was the dirt road, south was more hills and the golf course of rancho santa fe, and west was the ocean.


there were spiders, snakes, snails, coyotes, bobcats, deer, rabbits, butterflies, and the sun was hotter.


i would find little scorpions in my cereal bowl.


the trees had tendrils that hung down like ropey goddess hair, and it was sandy and gritty and like nothing else i had ever seen.


the house itself was like a ranch house, with wood paneling and a vague nautical feel.


there were lots of drawers and closets and mirrors. there were a ton of dusty windows, the old fashioned roll out kind, so that when you drove up to the house, when all the windows were open, it made the house look jolly and bright.


there was a bench out side where you could sit and look at the vistas all around you.


there was a screen door that i kept locked from the inside so my daughter, only 17 months at the time, could not toddle out.


i lived on one side and the woman who owned the house lived on the other. she lived in hawaii 7 months out of the year, and so for more then half the time i lived there, i was isolated and alone with my daughter on top of the ranch/houseboat/cabin/ on top of the hill over looking the sea.


i would go to trader joes and buy dahlias and roses and freesias and put them in vases all around the house, and the breeze would blow the curtains and it was so magical and yet i knew i would not live there forever so i just tried to let it absorb in me.


i lived at seaquest ranch.


or rather, seaquest ranch lives in me.