Mother's Day Hike - Sunday 5/10/2009

BikerChick takes a photo of our favorite yucca. We all took shots of this gorgeous thing!



I noticed lots of ladybugs around our house this year, too.


RockGoddess and Cabrita (little goat) scale the heights. Whoo hoo!


A whole lot of trucks were pulling into the main parking lot as we hiked above the road. They film a lot here.



I suspect that this is a set up for something to do with Saving Grace since the woman on the bed looks like she could be a Holly Hunter stand in, and the show filmed promotional spots out here.

Oh, yeah! It's very cool to see Vasquez Rocks show up in Star Trek (2009) as the planet Vulcan. Welcome back, guys! I didn't take any photos of the big rock this time, but here's a post where I did.



Not the place I want to be in an earthquake.


Life really wants to be.


Cafe Vasquez is open for business. Nice shady spot. First time I'd met RockGoddess and Cabrita.


Cabrita knocks back some peanuts.


Turtle takes to the trail.

Go Turtle!

Sunday Sick Day Outside - Sunday 4/12/2009

Well, it could be worse.

It could be raining.

I woke up feeling lousy again today. The Never-Ending Bronchitis, plus the long day yesterday. Hydra was also seriously under the weather on Saturday, too, but there was celebrating to be done that involved, food, chocolate and assembling jigsaw puzzles and we weren't about to miss it.

We had a great time, but about 40 minutes into our two-hour drive home, we had a call letting us know that I'd left my antibiotics prescription there.

Oh no. We'd left the house at 7:15 a.m. and didn't get home until a little after 9 p.m.

Anyway, this is the view from the little swinging bench we put between the house and the slope that leads to the open hillside. We call this the back of the house. We also call the back yard the back of the house.

We have no sides.


This is taken from my reclined position. Very good advice from Hydra to get outside to continue my convalescence. It lifts the spirits.




He busied himself cutting the lawn and cleaning up the shrubs and stuff while I hung out with the lady bugs in the vinca. I've never seen as many flying lady bugs as I did today. I wasn't even sure what they were at first.


Giant (overexposed) California poppy in the back yard. He's not really threatening it, just showing how big it is.



How is it that California poppies are so fragile that you can't pick them and bring them inside, and yet they have the strength to fold up at night to protect themselves?

I really love this about poppies. Poppies have good boundaries.

If you've gotten this far, here's a reward. Or a punishment. It depends on how much you like amateur poetry.

Still writing a poem a day for the month of April. Here's today's :

From Where I Lie

Mint and vinca mingling on the slope
The old table, decaying
The shed waiting for paint
The tilled soil waiting for herbs
The grape vine sprouting
The tip of my shoe resting
on the far end of the sheltered bench
The book
The water glass, sweating
The cedar, the willow,
the apricot, peach and plum showing promise
The lady bugs defying gravity,
orange asterisks on the breeze
The geranium sprouting from the nest
of last year’s bloom
The round brown bird of unknown origin
who nevertheless enjoys
a good reputation in our back yard
for bug consumption and dancing
The man who told me, rightly,
to rest outside.

Ventura Coast - Saturday 4/4/2009

Just some Gerbera daisies we saw in a gas station we stopped at. Love the colors.


We started out our visit to Ventura with a meal on the pier. Hydra had the mussels. I had a seared ahi sandwich.



Unfortunately, the restaurant's logo is better than its food.


The view from our table was pretty great, though. This is the Ventura Pier.


Hydra gives Flat Brayden his first look at the Pacific Ocean. Later, we helped Flat Brayden pick up a piece of a shell and a small smooth stone for souvenirs.


The water at the end of the pier. Beautiful color, huh!?

There were lots of people fishing. We noticed someone using shrimp as bait, which prompted me to ask Hydra, "What can you fish for that's better than shrimp?"



Looking back at the shore. Honestly, if I could choose any coastal Southern California town to live in, it would be Ventura.


The tracks the water leaves behind.


Yes. This is when my foot got wet. Right before I leapt onto this rock.


These little guys amused us by hopping away while never putting the other foot on the ground. Hee!


Just a cool shop sign in the shopping district of Ventura.



We stopped at a fruit stand on the way back so Flat Brayden could check out the orange groves. He's growing up in a farming community, like I did. Figure he'll be interested to know that California produces something like 75% of all the domestic fruit the U.S. eats.

Wearin' o' the Green - Monday 3/16/2009

Okay, so it's a day early, but it's greener than I've seen it in north eastern Los Angeles County since we moved here.

This is along the Southbound 14, heading home from my yoga class. Aaah.

Poppies Popping - Saturday 3/14/2009

The poppies are starting up a little early this year, thanks to all the rain. Most of them are up on inaccessible hills in our area.


According to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve's website, the poppies aren't in full bloom yet.

We have a few in our yard. Most of the flowers on the hills near us are smaller yellow and purple flowers.

These were taken on Soledad Canyon Road.

Mormon Rocks Hike - Saturday 2/28/2009

A very welcoming view. We were on our way to Adelanto to meet up with some friends and decided to make time for a hike at Mormon Rocks. We've been by here a number of times without thinking to allow for the time or to dress appropriately.


Closing in on the first goal.


There's a lot more space between the rocks than you'd expect.


Hydra sets off across the ridge between the first set of rocks we visited and the next. This is probably the crest of the same type of rock that's exposed elsewhere. The trail forms a rough crescent around the fire station below, which can be reached from the 138 just east of the 15.


Looking over Hydra's shoulder at the formations across the 138.


I pause to enjoy the view before we head back down. Nice hour long hike on a gorgeous day.

Doo Doo Doo Hiking Out My Back Door - 2/27/2009

Heading up the steps we put in our first year here and up toward Hydra's Mountain.


Just have to point out that this was the view on December 17th, 2008 when we had our rare Snow Day! All the leaves fell off the tree on the left fell off in between pix.


The vinca I transplanted from the too-sunny slope between our house and the neighbors' are thriving in a little light shade.


Looking north up the 14.


Cutting across the neighborhood on the way home. Great way to start a weekend!

Putting My Feet Where My Mouth Is - Thursday 2/26/2009

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to scale these rocks!

Sometime in the middle of the afternoon over on Facebook I said I'd rather be hiking. It sparked a lot of agreeable conversation.

It was sunny and cool, so I bypassed the gym and went to Vasquez Rocks County Park for a hike.



My foot next to some nice moss. Amazing green!


The long view.

As I climbed the first ridge, a ranger called out through a bullhorn that the park would be closing in about 45 minutes.

Ah well. It was time to pick up the pace.



Water on the trail. Very exciting.



The famous rock as seen through the skeleton of a reproduction native dwelling.

Later That Day - Friday 1/8/2009

Tree at the edge of my neighborhood.

I felt so good, I invited Hydra out for a hike. We hiked by the light of the moon!

Next day, the terrible cold descended. Glad we hiked when we did.

Prelude to a Bliss - Monday 12/22/2008

I went to Tomasina's house before our writing group's Christmas celebration and walked with her and her dogs in Arroyo Seco near her house. She tells me that California plein-air artists have been painting here for years.

And they still are! Check out the work of Paul Chamberlain and others here.


This is Biscuit the wire-haired Dachshund. She toddles along behind while Tory the rescued chocolate lab surges forward. But when tomasina offers to pick her up, the fifteen-year-old scampers along like a pup.

"Uh-uh. You're not carrying me. I can do it!"


The hillside is insanely green after the recent rains.



Tory would like to be immortalized in a plein air painting, but all I have with me is this Nikon D80.


Biscuit finally allows Tomasina the pleasure of escorting her along part of the trail. I got to carry her a little, too. She's a sweet dog, even if she is a little opinionated.

We met up with Braveheart at Tomasina's nearby home, and then went to Burke-Williams where Tomasina treated us to relaxation massages! We enjoyed the steam room and whirlpool prior to the massages. I was barely able to walk after my rub down. It really gets me out of my head.

We picked up Thai food from the fabulous Saladang on the way home. Chili beef, yellow curry chicken, green curry eggplant, pad Thai and Thai BBQ chicken. Yum. We know how to order a mean meal.

Back at T's place, we enjoyed the meal, exchanged gifts, I read a little of something I'm working on, and we made commitments for 2009.

Lucky us!