Where Is Fall (Weather)?

 

Saturday may have been the "official" first day of Fall, but Fall weather has yet to make an appearance.  It was in the high 90s on Saturday ~ I am so ready  for cooler weather!

It was a little humid with high clouds all day, which made for a gorgeous sunset.  My oldest nephew had a soccer game that evening (which was also my "little" brother's birthday), so we all met at the soccer field and watched the game.  It was a nice evening with some wonderful views of our beautiful little valley.

The End of an Era

 

 

 

 

 Friday marked the end of an era.  Space Shuttle Endeavour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour took her last ride, piggyback on  a Boeing 747, accompanied by two fighter jets, on a tour of some of California's iconic landmarks, giving all of us who live in one of those areas a "once" chance (not a once-in-a-lifetime chance even) of witnessing this historic event.

 

Around 9:30, we drove down a few miles to be closer to JPL and decided that a parking lot by the local Trader Joe's would be a good place to watch and wait.  There were a few people already there, but soon others came and there was quite a crowd gathered.  One lady had a transistor radio and kept us all updated on Endeavour's status.  Four high school-aged girls walked by and asked her what "that" was that she was holding ~ they had never seen one before!  We all chuckled and remarked how old we all must be!

 

Around noon time, anticipation was at a peak, as we knew Endeavor had just made its passby of Universal Studios and Downtown Los Angeles and was on its way to JPL.  Then, off in the distance to the southeast, I spotted it and yelled out, "Here she comes!"  It was thrilling to see and it ended up that we had picked a great spot, as Endeavour came straight towards us and right over our heads before making a turn and heading back down for her final approached to LAX.  It was quite thrilling to say the least and I feel very fortunate to have been able to have seen this historic event, the end of an era.

Besotted With Bluebirds!

I am absolutely thrilled that the pair of Western Bluebirds came back this year and have their nest in a cavity of a nearby Sycamore tree.  After doing some research through the North American Bluebird Society's website and talking with Lisa at Wildbirds Unlimited, I have been putting out mealworms for them .  I made a simple feeder by attaching a round plastic-backed cork mat (used for placing potted plants on) to an old broom handle and a potted-plant saucer as a dish ~ it is working out great!  It is so much fun to watch both of them come, eat and then gather up as many worms in their beaks that they can carry and fly off to feed their babies.  I'm hoping that when the babies fledge, they will make an appearance.  I will definitely try getting photos of that.  They are the sweetest birds and I love watching them.  They make me happy just seeing them!  I feel very lucky that they have taken up residence nearby and that I can help provide protein for them and their little ones!

Renewal and Rebirth

It has been way too long since I have blogged, so during this Easter season, I decided that there was no better time to get back to blogging. 

There are signs of rebirth and renewal all around.  I spent a few hours last Sunday up at one of my favorite places, Deukmejian Wilderness Park, and marvelled at how the Park is coming "back to life" after the devastating Station Fire 2-1/2 years ago. 

Here's wishing all of you a blessed Easter and Passover.

♥ Japan ♥

I took a break from work this morning and went to one of my favorite places, Descanso Gardens.  As I walked by the Japanese Tea House and Gardens, I said a prayer for all those in Japan who are affected by this devastating earthquake and tsunami and also the nuclear disaster.  My heart breaks for them, as I cannot imagine the untold suffering and utter despair that they are going through and will for a long time to come.  How does one recover from something like this?

Having lived through a few large earthquakes, I cannot wrap my brain around the utter devastation that I see on CNN.  Living in Southern California, we have always been told, as far back as I can remember, that the BIG one is coming and to be prepared (most are not).  Japan is one of the most-prepared countries for such a disaster on the face of this earth; however, even they could not be prepared for what was unleashed upon them one week ago today.  My mouth dropped as I watched the tsunami as it was happening, in real-time, a week ago tonight.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  The wave washed over farmland, carrying boats, houses and destroying everything in its path.  I keep thinking that mankind, in its arrogance, thinks that it has everything "figured out".  Not.  We are in no way a match for nature and its absolute power.  All we can do is be prepared, the best that we can, and if and when something happens, be there for each other.

What strikes me is the Japanese people's civility, even in the face of this unimaginable tragedy.  No looting, no anger; such grace.  I so respect them - I think we can all learn a lesson from them.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung!  On a more serious note, my heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan and all who are affected by the catastrophic earthquake/tsunami.  I cannot believe what I am seeing and it is just so unimaginable.  I have been through a few large earthquakes, but nothing that compares with this and I pray I never will be.

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!