You can fool the fans - but not the players.... John Cage

Yosemite in May - just another version of breathtaking.

Sometimes you just get lucky and hit it just right. Not too many other people, no road work, not too many wildfires and the accompanying smoke in the air... just the always amazing views of Tuolumne and the Yosemite Valley.

Tenaya Lake, which we were skating on not four months ago...

Just beginning to wake up from its snowy sleep.

Dogwood in full bloom in the valley - the lower elevations are fully green and lush.

Shot along the banks of the rushing Merced River.

I could have stayed here all day.

This is the time to get to Yosemite. Even though the campgrounds are full on the weekends you can still squeeze in midweek.

The view from Tunnel overlook on Hwy 41. Classic.

Bridalveil Falls.

Taken from along the road below. The Merced on one side, this on the other.

I don't know the name of this waterfall, but it was across the valley from Bridalveil.

Merced River.

Oops!

Get on a plane, train, bus or in your car and go there, NOW!

Yosemite in May - just another version of breathtaking.

Sometimes you just get lucky and hit it just right. Not too many other people, no road work, not too many wildfires and the accompanying smoke in the air... just the always amazing views of Tuolumne and the Yosemite Valley.

Tenaya Lake, which we were skating on not four months ago...

Just beginning to wake up from its snowy sleep.

Dogwood in full bloom in the valley - the lower elevations are fully green and lush.

Shot along the banks of the rushing Merced River.

I could have stayed here all day.

This is the time to get to Yosemite. Even though the campgrounds are full on the weekends you can still squeeze in midweek.

The view from Tunnel overlook on Hwy 41. Classic.

Bridalveil Falls.

Taken from along the road below. The Merced on one side, this on the other.

I don't know the name of this waterfall, but it was across the valley from Bridalveil.

Merced River.

Oops!

Get on a plane, train, bus or in your car and go there, NOW!

Searching for spring - road trip south

Spring in the eastern Sierra is fickle, tempermental, and enough to drive a person crazy some days. It is actually a good time to flee - seeking warmer temps and green since it takes awhile for things to start growing here. I've been heading south the last few years and I've yet to be disappointed. Spring in southern California is predictably lush, warm, and verdant. This year was no exception.

 

This last trip was typical - I dropped out of the windy, cold high desert down Cajon Pass into the moist, heavy, luxurious air of SoCal and immediately my skin plumped up, my sinuses cleared, and my senses were filled with the sight and smell of growing things.

 

These flowers were blooming along the bike path near the Clew Ranch where I audited the Buck Brannaman clinic. I took a walk during the break between horsemanship and cow work and just sucked it all in. The warmth was heavenly, the flowers were a delight, and there was no wind.

 

We get these wicked winds out of the north here in the Owens Valley that just rip through clothing, blow gravel into your hair, and make life outside a challenge. Just to have a few days without wind was a little slice of heaven.

 

My mom's garden was even more of a delight - the jasmine, rosemary and lavender were all in full fragrant bloom. We left the windows open so that the scent would drift in at night and I snipped little sprigs of jasmine that filled my room with perfume. Right before I left I cut a big bouquet to have with me in the truck, and it has perfumed our living room for over a week now.

 

There's a price that comes with the perfect weather of SoCal and that is population... so I'm happy I live where I live but I'm equally happy that some of my family chooses to live in and around San Diego. It is a six-hour drive to a whole 'nother world.

 

Five days down there can get me through a lot of weather up here - and eventually the winds die down here, the lilacs start to bloom and we enter that brief period of perfect outside temperatures. Babies are born all over the valley - foals, lambs, calves, bunnies - and EVERYONE heads outdoors.

Time to enjoy the window between the wind and the heat.

Let there be light.

We've had a pretty mild winter (to say the least) in the Sierra and when a storm rolled through on Saturday we were all positively giddy with excitement. It dropped a good amount of snow in the high country and gave the valley a drink, although I would have enjoyed a drenching. There's nothing like a big storm.

Here in the valley it was tapering off by late afternoon when I went out to feed and clean, and the light was so unusual I grabbed my camera on the way out the door. Good thing, too, cause it was amazing.

 

This valley has a lot of sky and when the clouds stack up it puts on quite a show.

 

We live up on a hillside with a good view of the valley below and the mountain range to the east, and our back is against the Sierra. When we first moved to this house we really missed our previous view of the Sierra and of Mt. Tom in particular, but we've grown to love watching the light morph on the White Mountains, the chain of rhinestone headlights of the cars on U.S. 395, and the muted colors of the valley floor change through the seasons and even within a day.

 

When I got to the saddle club the trees were all lit up from the late afternoon sun while the backdrop remained a dark blue-gray. It was so unusual and so striking. They haven't quite begun to leaf out yet so there is mostly just the mottled bark and the white branches that picked up the light.

 

I was the only person around at the time so there was no one to exclaim to and all I could do was run around and take photos. The horses were circling for dinner and the dog was busy with her stick, taking for granted another gorgeous day in the eastern Sierra.

 

And now we are packing up our belongings and moving again. We'll miss our view of the Whites but we're hopefully trading it for a view of the Sierra. And no matter where we go in this valley we'll always have the sky and its everchanging show.

 

We can't wait to settle into our own place - with a little bit of land around us, our horses on the property, and a new set of projects and to-do lists. New views to photograph, new neighbors to meet, and new adventures ahead. This has certainly been a year of change and it is only three months in... we could do with a little less at one time. I hope that by the end of this year we will be enjoying a period of stability and calm.

Like this light inspires.

How does your garden grow?

Disclaimer: I am a terrible gardener. There was a time when I could boast a green thumb but those days seem to have disappeared and now the best thing for me to grow are air plants.

And things that require little fussing over.

Like bulbs:

 

One thing I've loved to do for years is forcing bulbs for winter blooms. Especially when I lived in the snow and even now, here, where there is not so much snow but things are still very very dormant for months. Forcing byacinth, muscari and paperwhites brings much needed color and fresh scent to a house that has been sealed against the wind and cold.

Then I plop them into the beds around the house so they'll bloom again outside in future years.

 

I've had great luck with the muscari and the hyacinth. The paperwhites come up green but I haven't seen them bloom again yet. I still like them and force them but these days I move them out of the kitchen window the minute they begin to bloom. The scent of paperwhites clashes with food but they are great in a bedroom or bathroom or the living room.

 

We have other garden things that don't need much but water and sunlight to produce a great show in spring, like the violets under the wisteria. They came with the house and I'm sold on them. They form a really nice, low ground cover that effectively competes with weeds and for months they will produce these purple blooms.

 

Not super showy but they look great with the daffodils that bloom on the edge of this bed.

 

Next will be the iris and the wisteria itself, which is a show that I will dearly miss when we leave here.

And then, there are the fruit trees. We've been planting a tree a year and even as little tiny trees they have not disappointed us with flowers.

 

The little... um ... er... we've both forgotten what this little guy is! But it has some purty blooms, right? And it is so little we haven't seen any fruit from it yet.

 

The first tree we planted, an asian pear tree, is doing great and we have enjoyed fruit from it every year.

 

Of course, it may snow this weekend which will threaten the fruit for this summer.

It always seems to snow while the fruit trees are blooming.

 

This peach tree is old and our first year here we had to cut it back drastically - it had some kind of borer and we didn't know if it'd make it. Every year it has looked better and this year it is full of blooms.

And bees. All the fruit trees are full of happy bees.

 

The cherry tree hasn't bloomed out yet and it is the newest addition. Of course, we will not enjoy the fruit from these trees this year and will have to start all over when we find our next home.

Perhaps one day my green thumb will return to me, but for now there are too many other things demanding my attention. A lovely little mare, a grouchy mustang, a needy and lonely labrador, and all the projects I have lined up. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Schizophrenic spring

Spring isn't officially here but it is here in all its crazy glory. We don't dare pack away our heavy coats and fleece even though it is 70 degrees today cause we know it could be 30 degrees tomorrow with the wind blowing us sideways. Weather is what we love most in the Sierra.

 

The time change hit us hard and we've been sleeping too late every morning. We'll sit down to our coffee and laptops and one of us is certain to exclaim about how late we're running. We don't do anything different, we're just late out the door. And some of us don't really have to head out the door except to walk the dog.

I wish I'd taken photos yesterday while in town and I might just have to drive back in with a good camera. The fruit trees of Bishop are in full bloom and it is a glorious thing to see. I can never decide which season is best in the Owens Valley but I think spring is right there at the top (we know summer doesn't cut the mustard - in my opinion - and winter has too little snow for my taste, but it is a toss-up between spring and fall) with all the babies being born and the wild explosion of fruit trees.

Babies everywhere - calves, lambs, baby goats, foals... and the valley floor greening up a little for them. New leaves on the trees, the roses coming back to life, spring bulbs going to town. It is a glorious time.

Yard sales plus daylight savings time equals one weary magpie

I didn't plan it that way but it just so happened that the same weekend I chose for my yard sale was the same weekend as daylight savings time and I was surprised at how tired that made me. Yard sales are taxing - I don't know how people do multiple yard sales in a season. I found it a good way to force me to go through every room in the house, we ended up with a nice purge, a little boost to my bank account, and the leftovers are in one pile that happily one of our local thrift stores will send a truck over to pick up later this week.

 

I was pleased to see how quickly the books went and of course people like to poke through the CDs and pick up new music. We were a little disappointed that all the furniture didn't disappear but at least it isn't going back into the house.

All week I kept feeling like there could be more that I could put out... because I pulled an entire yard sale out of the house and garage and there was no discernable difference in the appearance of the house! Where had all that stuff been? I guess as we start packing boxes (now) as long as we are careful to choose wisely what gets packed and what gets left behind, we may end up with another yard sale before we're out of here.

 

The people were sure interesting - the best part of the day. I had a neighbor show up at 6 am to help me put things out, we got to know our neighbors behind us a little better, we had interesting conversations with strangers, and overall everyone was really really nice. It was enjoyable to sit in my own front yard with a cup of coffee and talk to people.

But I'd gotten up at 5, sat outside until 1, then put the leftovers back into crates and boxes and piled it up for the thrift store crew, and by 2 or 2:30 pm was in the house just about spent. I have new appreciation for the stamina required to be a flea market seller - can you imagine doing this every weekend and not even in your own front yard?

 

So it is done and over and we have a little less stuff to think about storing over the summer. JC promises that he will start packing boxes this week and begin going through his workshop and garage stuff. The days are longer now so we can take stuff to storage after work. And if we are good, and don't wait until the last minute, perhaps we can make this relatively painless.

 

Moving is never easy when you are a magpie like me and I always fret over what to pack and what to leave out. What will I need over the summer? Will I be able to find that one thing that gets packed away and stored if I do need it? And it gets so stinkin' hot here in the summer it isn't like I would want to go rummaging around in storage units to find something.

Ah that I could just let go of it all and pare it down to just the essentials. It just isn't who I am and it isn't who JC is. The upside of moving is that we pare it down as much as we are able and it is always fun to unpack and rediscover favorite things, put them together in new ways, start fresh.

I'm looking forward to our next abode and that will carry me through the drudgery of getting there.

A little bit of country in the city.

Seems like every year I'm down in southern California in February. It is my birthday month (I like to stretch it into a month), it is smack in the middle of winter, and for some reason I just like to get away from here for a weekend in February.

 

I seem to need some time with my mom and sis mid-winter. And one of my favorite ways to start the day is to take a walk in the hills on the edge of the city.

 

In February it is always green down there and flowers are beginning to bloom. The air is moist and even though the nights can be chilly it warms up quickly.

 

It never ceases to amaze me what I see on this walk. Birds, including big birds of prey, are all over this canyon, and they must drop seeds of some domestic plants that take root and become wild. This isn't a great photo but I think this is a penstemon and it had bright red flowers blooming.

 

This is urban southern California so I carry pepper spray and always walk with my dogs. You never know. And I'm constantly reminding myself to stay aware of what is around me. So often when I hike or walk it is a time I can let my mind go but I don't allow it down here. It is prudent to stay alert.

 

So far the only people I've met are other dog owners with their dogs. Friendly, chatty, people I end up waving at across the canyon on subsequent walks.

These are wild artichokes and they are so interesting year 'round. The blooms are gorgeous a little later in the year and we've seen the little artichokes. I've never tried eating them but I've taken a lot of photos of them in all seasons.

 

It is completely wonderful that this exists so close to all the chaos of the city - surrounding this canyon are subdivisions, a business park, big box stores, and bustling busy streets. But there are sections of this walk where you can't see any of it and it gets very quiet and peaceful with only the sounds of a bird call or the drone of bees.

 

And the green. My eye needs green this time of year when everything up here is dormant and gray or brown. All this foliage does something for the senses.

 

Along one section someone has taken the time over the years to line the path with round stones. This goes on for quite a ways. JC and I were walking up here once and saw a barefoot guy placing stones - and you wonder why.

 

The dogs absolutely love this canyon and it is the only opportunity they have to be leash-free. They know when we are heading for the area and they know that mornings, after a cup of coffee, are when we go. So the eyes start boring into your brain sending that subliminal dog message, "Take me for a walk" soon after we get up.

 

It is just a fabulous way to start the day. Then I happily climb into the car and hit the stores, drive the freeways, navigate the city.

Horse time

This winter has been remarkable in what it hasn't brought - little rain, little snow, not even much wind *knock on wood*. What we have had is day after day of perfect riding weather. It has been a great time to get to know my little mare.

 

We've been trail riding, ground-working, and some arena riding all through the winter months. I've developed a good relationship with her, cognizant of her youth, speed and power but also confident of her willingness and good nature. It has been a process and a good one.

 

This last week has been busy with travel and wrapping up a project at work so I've not had a huge amount of time to ride. Turnout after a couple of days cooped up in a corral (no matter how spacious) is always fun to watch and on this day Rhea got to run with another young horse, Cody.

 

He's quite a looker, isn't he?

 

There's such power in a young horse and when they are turned out to play and run it is truly a thing of beauty to see.

 

Most of the time my little phone camera can't capture the speed and I end up trashing most of the shots I take.

 

But glimpses into a horse's life like these are pretty priceless too...

 

So beautiful.

 

I am so grateful for this winter and the time I've had with Rhea. Of course, spring is right around the corner with its wind and fickle nature - there's no telling what it will be like.

 

And we'll be packing up the house, getting ready for the new season at the resort, taking a little trip to Idaho (whoo hoo!).... it'll be busy.

There WILL be horse time involved in some fashion...

 

Right now you'll have to excuse me while I run off and celebrate my birthday - I'll be back soon!

Bees, birds and flowers in February

No, no little plant - don't bloom yet....

These popped up in a sunny corner of the yard along with some crocus and I want to push them back into the ground.

 

It is too warm, too dry, and too early to think of winter being over.

Everywhere in the valley birds are chirping, bees are  humming in the trees and there are signs of life every direction I turn.

Stop!

Wait!

Snow is in the forecast and we haven't made it through March yet.

Nature doesn't listen to me, it is on its own path, marching to the beat of its own drummer and we are just along for the ride.

This will go down as a winter of record and just what that will be we have another month to determine.

 

I keep reminding myself of how many rides I've gotten in on the horses and how in a normal winter the only thing I can do with them is turn them out in a muddy, wet arena. It has been a stellar year for ice skating and winter riding in perfect, windless, sunny weather.

Counting blessings.