dusky beach walk (oh how i love that pink light)

fire skies

There have been so many wildfires the air is thick, thick, thick with smoke. The sky is a weird pinky green. The sun like an eye from another world...

perseids 2016

the moon through the telescope

The mister and I first met in August of 2002, right around the same time of the month as when the debris stream otherwise known as The Perseids crosses paths with us...or the Earth does with it and vice versa. Every year on our first date anniversary, aka the rootbeer-float-a-versary, we check to see if the skies will be clear enough to go out and have a looksie. Having moved up to SLO, we are lucky enough to be about n hour away from the Carrizo Plain which is the perfect spot to rest our heads for the night in search of meteors and falling stars and all that happy spacey stuff. This year, we brought along the sister-a-go-go and her fella.

 

It takes about an hour or so along a very windy road to get there. The air is dry enough that we do not have to worry about mosquitoes and so we do not bother with a tent, just our camping pad and a pile of blankets...it can get chilly over night.

Mister brought his telescope so we could ooh and aaah over the moon and other heavenly bodies the mister finds through the viewfinder. I never get tired of how cool the moon looks through the magnification. Snacks are in abundance and us girls have our p-styles handy just in case. Once the sun set, we saw a good meteor every few minutes. By good, I mean one that is large and has a long sparkly tail...the kind that makes everyone shriek as if they were watching a fireworks show.

up before the sun

At some point, our eyelids droop and we snuggle down into our makeshift beds. Throughout the night we wake up to watch the sky and are always rewarded. From shooting stars to the calls of the owls (screech, barn, and burrowing) and meadowlarks, it's all pretty cool...even the kangaroo rats that scurry about looking for crumbs are cool...a little less cool was the realization that the holes in the ground all over the campsite were probably for tarantulas and not squirrels like we thought. How did we know that? We saw one come out...that was actually kinda cool...until I started overthinking it...

goofy portraits

the old ranch

greeting the sun on the drive home

We were up and on our way before the sun was fully out. A makeshift breakfast of fruit and yogurt was gobbled up, pictures were taken, and sights were seen. We'll see you again in 2018...in 2017, we will be in Wyoming for the solar eclipse!

fifteen years ago...

We met for root beer floats and food...walked around my neighborhood, decided we could be friends. Months later, after hanging out and many (well...for us...many) phone calls, he came to my birthday party and helped clean up. A few days later we went on an official date and never looked back.

have (sour) peaches, make (sweet) sauce

The mama a-go-go's peach tree actually produced some fruit this year...for awhile there it was touch and go. Aadly, the fruit, while stunning, is a bit tart with a slightly bitter after taste. Weirdly, the peaches also make my teeth feel squeaky...go figure. To make use of the peaches and to feel productive, I cooked two or three down to a delightful sauce. I used the applesauce approach...chop to bits, toss into a saucepan with a cup of sugar and a half cup of water, a pinch of salt, a generous twist or two (or three) of black pepper and hope for the best. We ate it on ice cream, pork roast, burrito bowls (like slasa), and on our oats. I even enjoyed a spoonful or two in fizzy water and/or iced tea. It was more sauce than we could handle really, the jar got stood up and scootched to the back of the fridge where it became forlorn and forgotten. Thee wasn't too much leftover but the fuzz came to the party and it had to be ditched. On the plus side, the jar is now fresh and waiting for a new partner!

a 17 piece red, white, and blue wardrobe

I finished my 31 Days of Red, White, & Blue. This time, I went the capsule route and narrowed it down to 17 pieces for 31 days...19 if you count the two tops I wore only once and ditched. This round features 8 pieces from Lularoe. If you haven't heard of Lularoe, you might want to hit the internet to find out more. Just so ya know, I am not a consultant, just a fan of the happy, comfy, clothes!