For my friend Liv on her birthday 🙂 Liv, so glad you are settling in well in D.C. and hoping that this year will be chock full of significance, and discovery, and friendship, and every good thing. Hugs.
April 9, 2009
The last weekend in March, to celebrate the end of the quarter, I wanted to get out of Dodge. Nikki suggested we go down to visit her aunt who lives just past San Diego.
With a couple of small pillows stuffed behind me I settled back for the 2 hour ride to San Diego. So nice of Nikki to drive. We popped in a cd of The Blue Train, by Agatha Cristie, read by the absolutely incredible John Moffatt.
For some reason I hadn’t eaten lunch and by 4:00 was pretty hungry so we pulled over to get a snack at Daphne’s:Â a chicken kabob and some pita bread with hummus. “I don’t like hummus,” I said. “I’ll eat it,” said Nikki. Then, when the waiter brought the food to the patio table I was surprised. It didn’t look like hummus to me. I thought it was supposed to be red. “That’s because your mom always bought the kind with red pepper in it,” explained Nik. So I tasted it and liked it very well. A nice little discovery.
We arrived at about 5:00pm and had an early supper with uncle and aunt. A surprise to me since Nikki’s family seems to eat late.
They have a big house on a corner lot so the back yard is large. Planted around the perimeter are a number of fruit trees and a vegetable garden but they keep a big green lawn for Cody to run around on.
Cody is a very sweet dog and nearly 16 years old. He slides the screen door open with his nose when he wants in or out. He does like to get out and about. The neighbors frequently call to say, “Don’t want you to worry. I have got Cody here.”
Once, when the family was away, Cody went looking for them and managed to walk the several blocks up the hill to their church. He went inside and down the aisle looking for them. Since Cody is well known, someone recognized him, scooped him up, and returned him to their home.
Saturday Aunt Toan drove us across the bridge to Coronado Island.
After walking by some of the beach front houses…
we strolled in front of the hotel…
and then through the great lobby and shops.
On the way home we stopped at a few used book shops just for fun.
Finally headed home early evening to see the cats. They were tired of being cooped up all day and flew around the house like electrons.
April 7, 2009
This story is too long so just look at the pictures, unless you want to know some details.
Last Friday morning we left the house at 7:00am to head up to Carrizo plain for a view of the wildflowers. I had never been there but our friend, Nancy, had recently discovered it and volunteered to show us around so we packed a picnic and headed north.
Not to miss an opportunity, we decided at the outset to make a stop at the bakery we love in Pasadena and pick up some treats on our way.
The day started out cloudy and cold but I had hopes for sunshine after we made it through the Grapevine pass.
We made a stop at Gorman (it was a mere 39 degrees with a very cool wind) for quick breakfast and a first sighting of flowers.
After driving for some time, we came to 119 at Taft and turned westward to snake our way through the oilfields. That was a very interesting sight to see! These fields are hidden from view on the highway. All these years I never knew they were there.
As soon as we left the oil derricks we came into beautiful rolling hills with grasses that shimmered in the breeze and little wildflowers, mostly yellows and blues or purples. The air was as clean and sweet as could be.
It seemed as though we ought to see the ocean on the other side of the Tembler hills but we were still a long way off with several ranges in between us and the coast. (I think we would have come out at Pismo Beach if we would have gone the distance.)
It was a tad windy so we needed a few layers to keep warm. We had stopped at the last station on our way up and I had picked up a bandanna to keep the wind from going down the back of my neck. Turns out it was the stiffest, scratchy-est, piece of cloth I had ever seen. ‘Bout took the skin off but it did keep the wind out.
Since we wanted to get out and walk, Nancy sometimes drove along slowly behind us. It was so lovely to be outside in such an open space. It was quiet—supremely still, except for the sound of singing birds.
After awhile Nancy convinced us to get in the jeep again since we had a ways to go. We did stop often to take pictures and ooh and ahh at the brilliant colors. A connoisseur of wildflowers, Nancy could point out many and name them for us.
When we came over the Temblor range we picked a level spot and pulled out our picnic of roast chicken, nectarines, seedless red grapes, strawberries, cheddar cheese, and a variety of other goodies.
Sometimes we chatted and sometimes we sat and listened to the birds and the breeze. It felt perfect. I thought I could take more of this kind of quiet.
At some point Nance reminded us that we still had a drive through the golden fields to Soda Lake so we packed up and took off on the next leg of our adventure.
There were very few cars and people in the Carrizo valley. The golden spread on the valley floor was created by a carpet of tiny goldenrod flowers.
The visitor center is new and a nice spot for information and maps. There are no gas stations or food stops anywhere. It really is pretty desolate.
From there we drove up to the lookout point above Soda Lake, the low end of the valley where all the moisture collects and evaporates leaving a bed of alkali. We walked out on the lake. The meringue-like crust is quite thin actually.
On the way out of the valley we stopped to look at more bunches of flowers. It was hard not to pull over every five minutes.
From there we drove to Bakersfield and had a lovely Chinese dinner with Nikki’s Uncle and Aunt (Ruth is Nikki’s dad’s oldest sister) and a daughter and son-in-law and their daughter. The family speaks Chinese but enough English for delightful conversation.
After dinner we went over to the old ice cream parlor where I had a small sundae. I do love that.
By the time we were on the road home it was around 8:00pm or so. We arrived at our own doorstep about 10:30. I was too tired for words. But the good kind of tired—do you know what I mean?
See nikkipolani for closeups of the flowers!
April 2, 2009
It was overcast today which only made the sea of rose blossoms glow in a fluorescent sort of way. The temperatures were fairly comfortable and I wished to sit on the patio rocking bench with a book on roses, a cup of tea, and Minou at my feet.
Roses are in the forefront of my mind not only because the garden is in its first flush but because I am planning to create a website for Rose Gardening in Southern California for a school project.
However, it was the day for ironing and cleaning the house. Still, all the windows were open, and curtains back, so that I could take in the view whenever I liked.
For some reason, I have always liked domestic chores and find them somewhat therapeutic. Maybe that is because I don’t have to sit at the computer. Still, I also long to sit and read books for hours uninterrupted. My idea of vacation is good views, good food, good conversation, and good books.
Nikki came home and before I knew it a lovely supper was in the making so I slipped out to the garden in waning light and cut a large bunch of Pat Austin (deep tangerine) and Molineux (butter yellow) to put on the yellow table cloth with blue plates. We always like to have a party no matter what meal it is.
March 29, 2009
When I was growing up our family had a hall closet chock full of puzzles and games. I remember one in particular called ‘Clue’ which required you to determine which guest committed the crime with which weapon and in which room of the house. The library was always my favorite spot for intrigue.
The library in our house has recently been the scene of several misdemeanors. One night, as I was working in the studio, I heard a sort of thumping sound down the hall. Didn’t think much of it as the cats often chase each other around and bump into walls and things. But this was different… It wasn’t the usual thump it was more like a series of short thuds. I decided to investigate. Rounding the corner I saw Sammy and Em sitting in front of one of the bookshelves looking up at the books. Around them were scattered volumes they had pulled off the shelf. They discovered if they pulled on the top of the book it would fall out and were having a marvelous time.
On other occasions I have walked through the library only to discover little purple flowers on the floor. At one time the lavender plant was really beautiful but Sammy has taken a liking to it and has a goal of chewing off all the “blooms.” She has practically annihilated the bush. Sigh, it wasn’t cheap. I now have a drawer with a pile of little flowers in it.
Yesterday I discovered the Christmas ornament I have been missing that one of them stole from the library Christmas tree. (We have several medium-sized trees around the house at Christmastime and the library tree has small clear glass, blue glass, and manger scene ornaments on it. I have been missing Mary and Joseph’s donkey. Who do you suppose ran off with him? I’ll give you three guesses because they were all in cahoots.
Frequently the cats use the couch in the library as a launching pad to ambush each other on their walk to the garden sliding glass door. But the other night Minou was trying to teach the young whipper snapper how to lounge in a cool way.
All was well, another day saved when…
So you can see they are up to their usual tricks. Here’s Em, “springs in feet.”
beginninghere 