More Fun Than It Looks Like - Wednesday 2/14/2007

Hydra and I hiked across some open land to get to a restaurant for dinner last night. It turned out that there was a big ravine in our way. Hmm. Then found that there was one on the side of us, too.

When we got close to the restaurant we had a choice of going several hundred yards to where the ravine bumps into the road and has been managed with bulldozers or climb down through it. We climbed. It was about five feet deep, 12 wide at the top and 3 wide at the bottom. Good thing I didn’t wear my pumps!

Sadly, the food at La Cabana is not as good as that at Don Cuco’s (which is three miles away…maybe a Saturday hike?).

But we had fun hiking back. It was completely dark--hence this fabulous photograph--so we kept to an established horse trail. Had to walk right next to the backs of a bunch of houses at one point, and there was a German Shepherd just going bats three feet away behind a chain link fence. No matter how compose one remains--"Good dog, gooooood dog"--this sort of thing rouses one’s adrenaline!

It was good exercise getting back. About 15 minutes each way, and all uphill on the walk back. Good to burn off the margarita!

Birdlife - Tuesday, 2/13/2007

My best raven shot yet! Hydra and I went out for a hike as soon as we got home and this guy was kind of toying with us. Hopping and flying ahead of us for a little bit. Taken with my "old" Kodak point and shoot, which will probably be a part of my life for a long time in spite of the new Nikon. It's light and smaller.

Now, see, this is some kind of hawk. Wider wing span than a raven.

And it doesn't absorb all the light. Ravens seem to cut black holes in the sky.

In the Details - Monday 2/12/2007

Detail of a plant outside Hondista's apartment.

Detail of Hondista's napkin holder.

Detail of Hondista's NutraSystem lunch. "You can eat pizza!" Hmm. In all truthfulness, that should be edited to "You can eat a big cracker smeared with tomato sauce and freeze dried cheese!" And this is a double portion. This and a big bowl of broccoli will keep you on track. Right.

Later that Day - Sunday 2/11/2007

Hydra snapped this shot of what I think is some sort of falcon, on a powerline, hunting.

This Color of Blue Makes Me So Happy - Sunday 2/11/2007

Not much else to say, really. It rained last night and the sky was scrubbed clean. Everything that became dusty in yesterday's winds was refreshed. Even us.



I will never grow tired of watching the ravens dip and glide along the currents created by our local hills.

Nikon Goes for a Hike - Saturday 2/10/2007

Hydra suggested that we take my new Nikon out for a hike. Yes! It was a great day for it. We hiked the peaks around our neighborhood instead of sticking to the lower fire road. This makes for a challenging workout, because the hills are very steep and the dry paths are loose and a bit treacherous.

This first shot is looking past "my" mountain toward the Angeles National Forest. I think that might be Mount Gleason in the distance, but you probably don't want to quote me on that.



Yes! The big 300mm lens from my non-digital Nikon works on the new one, just as promised. We were at least 30 feet from this thrasher.


I love grasses. Love the way the wind works through them and the way the sun illuminates them. Once Hydra surprised me by mysteriously whisking me off to the pass near Tehachapi just to see the sunset light up the grassy hillsides. He'd seen it on his way back from Bakersfield and knew I'd adore it. Is that romantic, or what?

This grass only about four inches tall. It was dancing in the wind in a way I always associate with stop motion photography.


Looking back across the neigbhorhood at the fire road we usually walk on. It looks like it's snowing on the other side of the mountain, but it's just wind-borne dust lit by the afternoon sun. Did I mention it was very windy?

Luke, the neighbor's dog, would like us to know that he's up for a hike any time. I wish we could take him with us!

Marx Brothers to the Rescue! - Friday 2/9/2007

Fire extinguisher on the Metrolink train I took to work on Friday.

I can just see the three of them struggling to get the refreshed bottle behind the glass in the cramped quarters of the train passages.

Fogginess Ensues - Thursday 2/8/2007

Was it really foggy outside, or just in my brain? Having stayed up late last night writing for the GBA(s)FC last night, I slept through my alarm.

Did not hear it. Must have turned it off in some semi-dream state. Hydra came in around the time I'm usually leaving and asked if I was going to work today.

Hoo boy.

And here's where I admit just what a great part of my life this diner has become. I walked in a few minutes before six a.m. to a small chorus of "You're late!" and some ribbing. I stopped to talk to the print shop guys, who usually arrive about 45 minutes after I do and by the time I got to my usual booth, my hot tea and tall ice water was already there.

Only had half an hour to write this morning, but it is so good to have this habit. I have Elegant's invitation to do NaNoWriMo to thank for that!

Now she's talked me into contributing to 100 words. Which my writing group pointed out is about the opposite of NaNoWriMo. It's good to run sprints as well as distances, even in writing.

Early Hours - Wednesday 2/7/2007

The lights outside Hondista's door as I left her place. Another of the kind folks who save me the drive home late at night on a writing group night.



Sunrise over Riverside Drive in the moments between breakfast writing and work.

There's a New Kid in Town - Tuesday 2/6/2007

Ooooooh! What a beauty, huh!? The new Nikon D80 arrived! I worked from home in order to be there to sign for it.

Very exciting. But I was sooooo busy that I worked 6am-5pm with just a half hour break to do some killer DVD pilates and heat lunch to take back to my desk. Left the battery charging when I left for my writing group around 6pm.

It's now Thursday, I'm just now updating my blog, and I haven't had time to load the software, so still no shots from behind this lens. Something about saying I would update more regularly invited an avalanche of day-job work.

Plus I worked on my story for Maht's contest over at The Moon Topples. (Go over there and read and vote when you get a chance.)

Priorities are such a drag sometimes.

Virtual Street Golf - Monday 2/5/2007

Stance lessons on the sidewalk in front of the cafe below my office. I've long suspected that a couple of the barristas are also part time golf pros.

I don't pretend to understand.

Sago, Sago, Any Way You May Go - Sunday 2/4/2007

We went to Costco Sunday morning. Sat at the little cafe where I had pizza and Hydra had polish sausage, and we watched the peculiar world of the big box store roll by.

There must have been a good deal on these sago palms. We saw cart after cart of these wheel by. They were kind of magestic, separating from the grove at the center of the store and heading toward the yards of the Antelope Valley.

Okay, does anyone recognize the song I'm referring to in the title? Who famously recorded it?

Deb in Fort Wayne

Hey, I wanted to post this here, not being sure whether you'd check for a response to your lovely comments! Thanks so much!

My sister leads a free writing group at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City. Perhaps not too far to go, depending on what side of the city you live on. They meet at 7pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. It's listed under Adult Events on the library's page. She'd love to have you join in.

If you'd like to contact her to ask questions or just say hi, email me at sallykitt@gmail.com and I'll give you her email address. You're of course under no obligation, but if you'd let me know you've seen this, either through email or a comment, I'll send you the info and delete this post.

Phone Home? - Saturday 2/3/2007

Is it just me, or does this rock formation--the image has been rotated--look like E.T. with a little leafy lunch sticking out of the the side of his mouth? Did Steven Spielberg consult with Erich von Däniken before making his film?


Me and my shadow at Vasquez Rocks. Hydra's around here somewhere, too. We hiked for about 55 minutes, poking around the back part of the park. Most people stay around the big famous rocks so we pretty much had the trails to ourselves.



The view from inside one of the overhangs. This place always stimulates the imagination. It's like a stone city.

Ground Hog Day - Friday 2/2/2007

Celebrated by going to an outdoor taco stand with Hondista, and truly appreciating the fact that we and our local groundhogs could see our shadows. Scare that rodent back into his hole, we don’t mind.

She and I are both from northern Indiana, and agree that with winters like this, you don’t need to wish them away.

They were filming an episode of Desperate Housewives at the adjascent carwash, and I found all the stuff hanging off this crew member's belt interesting.

The End of an Era - Friday 2/2/2007

Buck's all grown up. This is as good as it gets.

I must say, the hat is less than impressive. It looks like a bowler.

His full height is a bit less than 6 inches.

Honestly, I imagine that the skin of drowning victims feels a lot like Buck's biceps do. [Shudder]

According to the packaging, he'll go back to his old size if left to his own devices. And I could start the process all over again!

But I think this is one of those life experiences that should remain precious and unique.

Who knows? It may eventually be the basis of another novel. There's been a lot more pathos involved in the past 72 hours than I have felt comfortable intimating.

Holy Cow! - Thursday 2/1/2007

Hour 53: Noon 2/1/2007

Is it just me? Or are my cowboy's pants disintegrating?

I didn't realize Tomasina sent me a stripper cowboy!

TUNE IN TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!

For the beginning of The Moon Topples Great Big Awesome (Short) Fiction Contest.

In which this wonderful blogger takes the initiative and gets his very own contest rolling. Find out what the topic is and write! Check out full rules by clicking on the link above!

Let's support this guy's initiative! He's saying YES!

Hour 24: 7am 1/30/2007 - Looking a bit saucy, no?

Hour 29 - Noon 1/31/2007

Hmm. A bit larger.

The difference is more obvious in this side view.
And the water’s getting murky. I think I’ll have to change it before the day’s done.

Cowboy Update

Hour 5 : He's getting puffy. I hope this is just a phase.

Hour 8.5 - He doesn't seem obviously bigger from above, but seems to be experiencing a height spurt.

I have to leave him at work overnight. Wonder what I'll find in the morning!

Gonna Grow Me a Cowboy - Tuesday 1/32/2007

What can I say? I work with a bunch of smart women.

But the reason we're all good at this job is because we are all pretty seriously verbally oriented.

So it's really no surprise that no one here can tell me what size jar I need to grow my cowboy. He started out about an inch tall and it says he'll get 600% bigger.

Okay, would that mean 600 inches tall? That can't be right.

Can it?

He's in a vase that's about 5 inches wide at it's widest about about 8 inches high. Hope it's not too constricting.

It's supposed to take him three days to grow to his full size. I put him in at 7am today.

I will keep you posted.

El Taco Llama and More - Monday 1/30/2007

Perhaps the best (formely) kept secret in North Hollywood: El Taco Llama on Magnolia, 1 block east of Cahuenga. It's a cafe attached to a car wash. Tammy discovered it a few weeks ago, and now we're hooked. Great carne asada taco. I'm not the only one who thinks so!

After we indulged in tacos at an outdoor table, we took a walk around the neighborhood.


I got a special kick out of seeing the way this recycling bin is decorated because Gia gave me Hand Book by Jean Benoit Levy for my birthday. Synchronicity.

Tammy and I both liked this palm tree a lot. It is large and robust and just about perfectly shaped.


Cool old panel van.

Home to Roost - Sunday 1/28/2007

We realized a few days ago that because we took down the Christmas tree early, we didn't put away all the other Christmas decorations. So on Sunday most of the rest went into boxes (found another thing since then!) and the chickens were returned to their place atop the toaster oven.

They are a sugar and creamer set. Yeah, I have a thing about tea things, and creamer sets.

If anyone knows anyone with one of those nice white porcelain Starbucks creamer sets that came out a couple of years ago that they aren't using, let me know. I'll buy it. I broke the lid to mine a few weeks ago, and it's the one that fits on my tray with the teapot and a cup and saucer.

Rainy Evening - Saturday 1/27/2007

Rainy and cold. Stayed home. Curled up in my favorite chair. Scribbled in my notebook.

Stuck my nose out the front door to breathe in the amazing clear cool air around 7pm.

Stuck my camera out the front door to get the shot of the day.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - Friday 1/26/2007

It's so gorgeous around here these days.

The thing about living in the mountains that we never realized before, is that at different times of the year you see different features. Because as the sun travels along the horizon, the light comes pouring through a different canyon around sunset illuminating vistas that aren't so set apart in the summer light.

And for some reason, when there are clouds, the mountains look taller. From hour to hour some days, it looks like we are living in different parts of the world.

My Familiars - Thursday 1/25/2007

Some employ crows or black cats. My familiars are the mouse, the pen and the RAZR.

I liked the way the chandelier at Bob's was reflected in the mouse. The pen and the RAZR just nosed their way into the shot.

Cheeky devils.

Ride 'Em, Cowgirl! - Wednesday 1/24/2007

This seems to be the message my friend Tomasina is trying to get across to me.

Last night, my writing group celebrated my birthday. What an amazing evening. It pays to have friends who can so eloquently express their affection in the form of wonderfully worded cards and thoughtful gifts. Clothing, jewelry, lotions, CD, book, etc. etc. Amazing, good stuff!

We ordered in Indian food and Braveheart whipped up a terrific coconut cake with vanilla and chocolate sauces to alternate between. I love not having to choose. I'll have it all!

So back to Tomasina's message via the lunchbox and the toy. We frequently do freewriting exercises during our meetings. Apparently cowboys often show up when I tap into my unedited psyche. They might be in a country bar, or helping a newbie with her recently purchased old farmhouse, or what have you.

Where and when I grew up, you might have cows, but dairy cows, not cattle. The boys often wore flannel and hats without claiming to actually ride a horse. It was okay. It was the way of our world.

But it is quite possible that I have been left with something of a flannel fetish, truth be told.

When I figure out how big a container I need I will, indeed, grow my own cowboy.

Still here!

I was really going to be better about posting every day or two. But then Blogger wouldn't let me load photos, and work became very busy, and now our Internet service at home is not working. So I'm at a Panera in Palmdale just to do some online banking and pay my cell phone bill, and I'll get caught up as soon as I can!

Kickin' Back in my Agent 99 Boots - Tuesday 1/23/2007

Finding myself with another few hours to hang out, I sat outside and read the first chapter of a novel that an e-friend sent me. I liked it!

This Is Misleading - Monday 1/22/2007

Okay, I could have titled this post "This Billboard is a Big Fat Lying Lie."

Fair Oaks? I think not. I've seen the place. They not only scoured the land of the live oaks and junipers, but they cut down the very mountains that once sustained them.

This place was built on peaks that were once so steep that I thought they were safe from development. But unlike the older Los Angeles hillside neighborhoods like Echo Park and Silverlake, etc. the developers don't have to work with the landscape at all. They simply destroy geologic structures that took eons to build.

And then they build the houses so close together that there's no chance for an oak to find a home there again.

It hurts me, you know?

Some days, it's all I can do to stop myself from imagining all the beautiful mountains in my life in their possibly diminished futures. Amputated.

This is the main reason I personally seek the zen of the now. To see those mountains as they are today.

Paris Calling... Sunday 1/21/2007

I love this book. I just finished it. I asked for it for Christmas because I thought it was going to be a guidebook. (And I’m going to be in Paris in May!)

Well. It is in a way, but it’s also a kind of magical book about writing. The very sort of thing that appeals to me. It asks for upping my commitment to writing. That’s the best thing I took away from The Artists’ Way, the challenge to challenge myself. (Which led me to join a writing group, go to a writer’s conference, get a story published, apply for and receive a fellowship, help create writing retreats for my group, take personal time off to write, etc.)

Maisel encourages us to dream, and to dream big. He asks us to challenge ourselves and treat ourselves and go be a writer in Paris. Boy oh boy do I want this.

But he also talks about doing it in other places and in other ways. I found it perfectly inspiring and uplifting, and I doled it out to myself in short bursts.

I may just reread it right away. I may just have a writerly crush on Eric Maisel, whose The Art of the Book Proposal is also helping me quite a lot right now.