Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2011!

Making Progress

After a craptastic August and September, I seem to have lost my crafting mojo and it was nowhere to be found.  Slowly, but surely, it seems to be creeping back.

I have had this Bernat "Galaxy" yarn (which sadly has been discontinued) in the Mars colorway for years, and finally decided to dig it out last night and start knitting a simple scarf for myself.  I love when a yarn does "all the work" and all you have to do is mindlessly knit.  I chose to do a simple scarf (I was "scarfed-out" from knitting so many when I first started knitting about five years ago), as I wanted a simple project to do while watching television in the evening.  I just casted on 15 stitches and started knitting and will continue to do so until I run out of yarn!  Hopefully the two skeins I have will make a decent-lengthed scarf.

What projects are you working on?

One Year Ago Today

These are just a few of the images I shot a year ago during the Station Fire.  We were asked to evacuate early the next morning, but it turned out to be a goof-up of the reverse 911 system, but it was very scary nonetheless.  I will never forget the smell of the smoke; I think it will be a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life. We were extremely lucky (we are very thankful) there was no wind; it would have been a very different outcome for our little valley if there had been; however, many people were not as fortunate as we were.

We love our firefighters.

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day

I am grateful to all who have given their lives, have served and are serving now to give us all the freedoms we enjoy and all too often take for granted.  Thank You.

A Profusion of Poppies

I took these photos Tuesday on a trip to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve.  It is absolutely spectacular this year. What a difference a year makes; we had quite a bit of rain and that made all the difference!  There were fields of poppies all over the valley.  They almost looked as if they were glowing.  Gorgeous!

Happy Easter!

(Image courtesy of Karen's Whimsy)

Wishing you and yours a blessed and Happy Easter!

Welcome Spring!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(Photo courtesy of "The Graphics Fairy")

May the luck of the Irish be with you today (and don't forget to wear some green)!

Sherman Library and Gardens

Yesterday I went with a friend to Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona Del Mar.  We left the gray, drizzly foothills and an hour or so later were down in the sunshine near the beach.  It was a gorgeous day.  Neither of us had ever been there and we were pleasantly surprised at the scope of the gardens for its size.  It is located right off Pacific Coast Highway in a lovely area of Corona Del Mar not far from the beach in a residential/business district.  They also have a lovely gift shop!

We then had a wonderful lunch at Bristol Farms and made one more stop at Rogers Gardens which is amazing!  I definitely want to go back around Christmas - they have an extensive selection of gorgeous Christmas ornaments by Christopher Radko, Debbee Thibault and others, and were putting out Easter items yesterday.  Their selection of plants, trees, etc. is like none I've ever seen. 

We then made the drive home in our "wonderful" LA-Friday afternoon traffic; our least favorite part of the day, but so worth it!

Blue Skies...

We're still here and haven't washed away! After a week-long series of storms, we woke to snow on our mountains yesterday. Our poor, bald mountains were wearing a toupee of snow (as my cousin put it!). We were even treated to a bright, beautiful double rainbow on Tuesday. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I even managed to get some plants in the ground. We are expecting more rain tomorrow through Tuesday, so the threat of mudslides is far from over. We need the rain; just not all at once!

"It's a Beautiful Day..."

"Don't let it get away,

It's a beautiful day..."

U2, "It's a Beautiful Day"

I hope everyone is enjoying their day.