Idyllwild, Sunday November 24, 2008

We drove up to Idyllwild, again, for lunch yesterday. We took Claudia with us and ate lunch at the Bread Basket. It is a small bakery/restaurant in Idyllwild, CA, up in the pine trees. Awwwww.....the smell of the bakery was intoxicating! It was so relaxing up there! After lunch we wandered around the stores and I took a few photos. Most of the stores are already decorated for Christmas. I found some cute tree ornaments for 50% off. Each one is a little bell with a different colored horse head on it, so I bought 5...one for each of my horses!

More mountain lion pics~! Saturday, November 22, 2008

I was going through all my photos last night, deleting some that weren't in focus or that were too bright, and I came across this file. I usually (now...finally!) put the date and what each file is about, but this one, for some reason, only had a number on it and I didn't remember what the number stood for. Do any of you have that problem? Anyway, as I went through it, I realized it had some old photos (not too old) of one of our visits to the Living Desert Reserve and the two mountains lions, Reno and the female. Here they are in a quiet, restful mode and I though I'd share them with you! They did have their quiet moments together. Unfortunately, Reno also bit the female and she had her leg in a bandage for quite some time. I miss Reno!

Late afternoon, Canyon de Chelley SKYWATCH Friday November 21, 2008

When we arrived at Canyon de Chelly this past autumn, it was monsoon season in high gear! This was an afternoon storm that was overhead. That night there was a terrific thunderstorm!

Autumn color November 20 2008

See how autumn has changed the trees at the ranch? They are now red. I love autumn!

Full moon and hawk Nov 17 2008

While driving up the mountain Saturday morning, I pulled off and drove up a dirt road. There was a full moon and on top of one of the rocks was a hawk. Of course, he immediately flew off when I got out of my car. It was a crystal clear morning and I could look all the way down into the Coachella Valley.

Santa Ana winds November 16 2008

As a Native Californian, I grew up with the Santa Anas. We never called them, "Santa Ana winds", but just "Santa Anas". Everyone knew what we meant. Usually our winds blow west to east, but the Santa Anas reverse direction and come barreling down from the high desert to the ocean. They make us all uneasy. They usually are hot winds and they sweep down canyons at tremendous speed. I just heard that 5 people have been arrested related to the fires. I have witnessed the result of fires burning due to Santa Anas my entire life and it is horrible. My own San Gabriel mountains nearly burned down when I was a teenager, the result of Santa Anas. And cities like Malibu, Corona, Chino Hills, Monrovia, and Anaheim Hills have been burned before from Santa Ana fires. My aunt and uncle, in their 80's, were a block away from the San Diego fires last year. Like earthquakes, they are one of the hazards of living in our southern California desert. Please say a prayer for all the families that have lost their homes in these latest fires.

Geckos gone!

My little nighttime friends, the two geckos, are gone. I guess it is too cold for them? They were my nightly companions during the summer. They ate the bugs and moths that gathered on my window, outside where I sit in the kitchen at my computer. I miss them, but I hope I'll see some again next summer. These are not my pics...I never got a photo of them.