Red (Rock) Dawn - Thursday 9/20/2007

We arrived at Red Rock Canyon State Park Wednesday night after dark, but it was okay! There was a bright half moon hanging in the clear sky and we were able to pull into a long campsite where we didn't even have to unhook the trailer from the Tahoe. We walked around a little in the dark. One of our neighbors was sitting by his fire, listening to what sounded like Native American flute music. Nice.

This shot was taken from the front door of the camper. It rained in the night and was still sprinkling a bit when I took this.


The rig in the campsite. So cool to wake up there!


We hiked up to this interesting formation as our first goal. It's Hydra's birthday hike! Happy Birthday, Hydra!


Hydra explores the broken up back side of the cliffs. These big boulders were impressive!

Scary alien-looking pod beings. What are these?


Atop the ridge. The weather was perfect for hiking. Cool temps and lots of sun.


From this vantage point, it becomes clear why the ranger station was just about wiped out in the floods a few years ago. Yes, that's it down there where all those (currently) dry stream beds converge!

Showing the scale of the mushroom rock that's so impressive. You can see this from Highway 14 as you drive by, but it's worth a stop.


I liked the double rear-view images as we went on our merry way.

I am trying, friends. I was off camping in Red Rock Canyon and outside Lone Pine, CA over the weekend. Can't get the photos to load!

Foggy Day in Olde Acton Towne - Wednesday 9/19/2007

Bam! It's fall!

It's only about 55 degrees here in Acton at midmorning. (I'm working from home today, o joy.) It's hard to believe it was over 100 just a couple of weeks ago.

We've been enjoying the return to cool nights. Those weekend morning hikes don't have to be started right at the crack o' dawn in order to be bearable.

TMI? - Tuesday 9/18/2007

Some days, in an effort to come up with a photographic subject I haven't already covered in just over two years of a photo a day, I fear I'm giving you more information about me than you really need. Like today, for instance.

I usually pick something kind of lovely out of the stacks and rows of things in my house. But this is the somewhat messy front of my refrigerator. Call it an homage to Jamie Leigh Curtis's unretouched photograph in More magazine a few years ago.

What do we have here? Working our way down from the cupboard top, pitchers bought at yard sales and in Tijuana. On top of the fridge itself, my main tea pot, and several creamers and sugar bowls. Also an antique pitcher given to me by a friend. I love the shape of pitchers and I have a hard time resisting a good deal on one.

On the door... a coupon for a frozen meal that's about to expire, tickets to a Tom Paxton concert, tickets to a Kingston Trio concert, a Jiffy Lube coupon, a magnate from our pet-sitter, a magnate from a wine company that also sent me some cool stickers when I asked, a cute card my mom sent a while back, and a metric measure converter sticker sent to us by the real estate agent who sold us our house and which I am determined to use to try some of the amazing recipes from Gordon Ramsay's The F Word.

Believe me, there are other messes in my house. It's not all pretty fruit and tea cups on windowsills. But you'll have to wait for another slow photo day for me to show you that!

Fruit in Waiting - Monday 9/17/2007

Sadly, sometimes I forget to enjoy the fruit I bring into the office.

But it looks kind of nice on the shelf.

Mom and Me - Sunday 9/16/2007

My mother took this photo of us together years ago, obviously. She sent me a copy a couple of years ago and it's been hanging on my wall ever since.

Isn't she glamorous?

Empty Pots - Saturday 9/15/2007

I have a lot of nice plants on my front porch. Things I've purchased and lots of things people have given me cuttings of.

The only problem is, come winter, they all need to hide out inside. This is why I seldom use the master bath bathtub. It's separate from the shower, and it is the summer home of my tender outdoor plants.

We had the tires replaced on the camper trailer on Saturday. Yay! They had these deep cracks in them. Given that we don't put a lot of miles on it, the main way that tires tend to go bad out here is from sun damage. I've been looking at those tires and worrying about them a little bit all this year. If what I was seeing wasn't sun damage, I don't know what would be.

We took it over to the tire place right in Acton. From what I saw online, we got a decent deal on them. Less installed than they were selling for without installation other places.

Confession time: I have this mild phobia about tires. I have to keep the radio on in the car sometimes just to drown out the sound of the tires rolling over the freeway or I start thinking I hear something amiss and worrying that I'm going to have a blow-out or something.

One More From Friday - 9/14/2007

My favorite photo of the day.

Swimming After Sunset - Friday 9/14/2007

Tomasina's great-niece's hand and foot. This is the kind of skin the fancy potion makers would like me to believe they can deliver.



Tomasina, from my writing group, invited me to attend the memorial for her father. I couldn't be more grateful for being able to participate. I took off work early and drove down to Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point. It was an amazing afternoon.


I was privileged to meet Ed a few years ago, along with the rest of my writing group. In spite of his Alzheimer's he was a sweet man who interacted with his daughter with great tenderness. Yesterday afternoon, there were wonderful stories of Ed's life as a dive instructor, boater, party-host, thinker, writer and friend.

Then Ed's ashes, mixed with the ashes of his wife Virginia, were sent up into the sky in a helium balloon! It was an amazing and satisfying send off. We watched the balloon rise into the sky until it disappeared.


On it's way.


Sunset at Salt Creek Beach.



After sunset, Tomasina, her nephew, a family friend and I went in for the first annual Ed T. memorial swim. It was soooo cold! We all dove into a few waves.

I tried to body surf one, and was reminded about the ocean. It doesn't care if you're in it's way. I stayed on top for a bit, then was tumbled and pummeled and felt like just keeping my chin off the floor was a pretty good accomplishment. Sand in the ears, nose and mouth.

It was one of the most invigorating things I've experienced in a long time. We showered off the salt and I took off for the long drive home (oh my god, 2 1/2 hours for about 100 miles).

My little lone adventure came when I missed the turnoff to Crown Valley Parkway and ended up taking the Pacific Coast Highway right through the town of Laguna Beach. Remembered vaguely from a couple of years ago that the 133 should take me in the correct direction, but then zipped past the turn onto El Toro Road.

It took me about 5 miles to find a place to turn around. All I had on was my wet bathing suit and a long shirt. I ran around to the trunk of the car to get my pants and pull them on--I was going to have to stop and get gasoline before getting home--in this dark and creepy spot between the north and south going lanes. Thinking that the last two phone calls on my cell were to my mother and husband, wondering what they'd remember of my last words. Really, it was all too horror-movie stupid.

But I got back on track, and listened to various NPR stations play amazing music and regained some of the sense that I had upon walking up the green slope away from the water and toward my car. That I love my life, and my friends, and the wide vibrant world we've been given to explore.

I am grateful.

Thursday Morning - 9/13/2007

Braveheart and I sat at her kitchen table 'til 2 a.m. talking about the evening and this and that. She gave a reading at A Different Light bookstore the night before and completely kicked ass. The novel she's working on is terrific and she's an amazing reader.

Noel Alumit hosts the series, and he always puts the audience at ease. He introduced writers and editors who were in the audience, which I thought was a very good move.

So often I would like to tell the writer I've just heard that I am a f'ellow traveler. But then I worry that might accidentally steal a little of their thunder. I'm concerned that it's like someone saying to a bride on her wedding day, "Hey! I was married once. Wanna see pictures?"

In confessing this to fellow writers, I realized how silly that probably is. I never--I emphasize never--feel that way when someone tells me s/he is a writer after my readings. So if you see me read, and you want to talk about writing, please say something and I won't hold it against you for a second!





Jimmy is not so much interested in the news.

Halloween is Coming! - 9/12/2007

And Cinema Secrets is the place to be! I don't very often dress up, but I love the decorations and the artwork associated with Halloween. And maybe even more so Dia de los Muertos.

I always drop by Cinema Secrets early in the season to see all the cool costumes and make-up. Love the artwork on the windows this year!

Happy Birthday Gia - Tuesday 9/11/2007

Moody photo of the fabulous coconut cream cheese iced spice cake Braveheart made for Gia's birthday celebration at the writing group.

It's Surreal Inside - Monday 9/10/2007

I had a late start on Monday, so things were feeling a little surreal when I dropped into Priscilla's for a coffee and croissant around 6am instead of Bob's around 5:15. Knowing that you can often get little gems in short amounts of time, I wrote for about 25 minutes and left feeling like I'd made an effort and learned a little something about my characters.

But it only seems reasonable to have used the "cartoonize" effect on this photo.

One of the guys I routinely say hello to as I pass by the coffee house actually did a double take to see me sitting at the table by the window.

I used to hang out down here at lunches quite a lot. It's a great place, and hardly ever this empty.

North Fire - Sunday 9/9/2007

We took Soledad Canyon Road home from having the birds groomed in Santa Clarita on Sunday. More charred hills, this time from the North Fire you may have heard about in the past week or so.

This will be especially green after the winter rains if other burns in our area are any indication.

Life on the Porch - Saturday 9/8/2007

Finally, it's nice enough to sit on the front porch again. It's a good place to enjoy an apple from our Granny Smith tree.

On a completely unrelated note, TorontoM IM-ed me at work to let me know that a Stephen Colbert profile will be appearing in Vanity Fair this month! Here's the photo she sent me with the announcement!


I ran right down to Toluca Mart to buy a copy but, alas, they didn't have the October issue in yet.

TorontoM and I like brainy guys. Especially when they bring the funny.

He looks good without that tie!

Jade - Friday 9/7/2007

Jade plant on the front porch. The cuttings for this little plant came from one of Hydra's cousins. I like getting plant cuttings from people.

Cheery Van - Thursday 9/6/2007

Just liked the paint job on this florist's van parked off of Sierra Highway in Canyon Country.

Doodle - Wednesday 9/5/2007

Why is the mug empty?

Why is the page blank?

Why does she doodle on the inner flap of the teabag wrapper?

These are the riveting questions we pose for ourselves as we pursue literary excellence.

The North Fire Still Burns - Tuesday 9/4/2007

See the fire line at the peak in the distance to the left? This was taken from where Escondido Canyon crosses the freeway. This is about 6 miles from my house and heading away from us.

Heads Up! - Monday 9/2/2007

So I was messing around on line Sunday afternoon, when Liz emailed to ask if we were okay. She'd heard there was a fire in Acton. Huh? Oh, yeah, not to worry.

But look at the view from the driveway! The fire's down along Soledad Canyon, but it looks like it's right over the hill we climbed this morning.


The sun was an eerie red ball.


Ravens pass the smoky sun.

Some one took a time lapse video.

Hot Hike - Monday 9/3/2007

It all started out pretty idyllically around 7:30 this morning. It was fairly cool in the shade of our yard.

I liked this pair of shoes on a neighbor's front porch. Looks like they've been out and about too.



We decided to hike up my mountain, on the other side of the neighborhood from our house. A new fire road was bulldozed during a recent fire. Wow, it heated up fast once we were exposed to the sun. As you can see, there was no cover. It became very steep. The first 1/2 hour of the hike was all uphill, all in the sun.


See the little snippet of green at the base of this burnt shrub? Recovery is already beginning here and there.


Downtown Acton, CA. Still a nice place to live.

Especially if you have air conditioning. It was 90 degrees in the shade by the time we returned to our yard around 8:30 a.m.

The Whole Sugar Debate - Sunday 9/2/2007

There is no way I am going to live without sweet in my life. A cup of good black tea from China or India, dosed with a little milk and sugar is like a touchstone for me. It's something I've enjoyed since I was a kid. It provides a pick-up in the morning, a break in the afternoon.

I almost always brew tea before I start writing. The time it takes separates me from the rest of my routine and the smell and taste works like one of Pavlov's bells.

I've just decided to stop with the Splenda. I don't know. What's worse, some sort of mystery chemical or actual sugar? I usually drink 3-5 cups of tea a day, with a teaspoon of sugar in each. This seems like a lot, but I guess it's about a quarter of what a person gets in a Coke Classic.

So...I'm going back to sugar. Turbinado sugar, just to give myself some feeling that I'm at least trying. Used to be I'd use real sugar only in the premium teas I brew from loose leaf mostly on weekends, and Splenda in the restaurant service tea I get at diners.

Raining, Pouring - Saturday 9/1/2007

Welcome, September. Wow, did we have an electrical storm up our way! We were at Circuit City, taking advantage of a sale, and the power went off and on several times. The first time thunder struck, some one screamed.

This shot was taken from the back door. I just opened it and snapped the shot quickly because big fat drops were beginning to come down.

There is nothing, nothing like the smell of the earth when it begins to rain after a long dry spell. It's like everything is opening up, even the soil.

There's No Rush in This Hour - Friday 8/31/2007

Trust me, no one's life was endangered in the creation of this photograph. It was stop and stop and go on the 5 at the 118 around 4 o'clock Friday afternoon.

Amazingly, once I made it to the 14, everything was pretty much free and clear. Made it in about an hour and a half, which is good for a holiday weekend Friday. Plus I was able to talk to Mom on the cell phone (handsfree, yes) most of the way, which does an amazing job of keeping me calm.

Bootmobile - Thursday 8/30/2007

I see this vehicle a few times a month, but usually there's too much traffic for me to veer off the side of the road and get a shot of it. I went to Harry's in Burbank for breakfast and made a point to turn on Verdugo to see if this big boot was still parked there.

I love that someone went to all the time and effort to make this thing!

Too Darned Hot - Wednesday 8/29/2007

How the humidity plays with the sky, from my driveway.


What's wrong with this picture?

It's 3:30 in the afternoon and there is nobody sitting outside Priscilla's. Temperatures have been right up around 100 degrees with more humidity than is typical for the L.A. area, and it's just no fun to be outside.

I spend my days shamefacedly scuttling from air conditioned home to air conditioned vehicle to air conditioned workplace and back again.

The Truth About Bob Hope Park - Tuesday 8/28/2007

The truth is, I could take a photograph that would edit out the huge power towers that stomp through Bob Hope Park. And I could neglect to mention that in addition to the menacing pop and crackle of the electric lines overhead is almost drowned out by the sound of cars rushing past on the 134.

But the truth is also that green space is better than gray space. And the truth is also that kids come here to play, and adults come here to run, or picnic, or rest. And if you go there between work and your writing group, you can spread out a blanket and fall asleep pretending that the traffic is water rushing through the funky little stream bed.