A Short Jaunt

While camping at Sunset Beach, we experience some overcast days; which do not bother me, but everyone else gets a little antsy. In stead of hanging out on the camp grounds, we take some short jaunt's to (on separate days) Capitola and Pacific Grove.


In Pacific Grove there are some rocky parts along the ocean, that you can walk around and inspect the tide pools. In this photo, I see a rock formation of a seal basking in the sun, with it's nose up in the air. Do you see it?


I talked with this nice lady who works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Her job is to keep track of the sea otters that have been tagged by logging where they are and what they are eating. The newspaper this morning had an article stating that, "Scientists are reporting a decline in the number of sea otters on the Central California Coast. Lab tests show the marine mammals are mainly dying from disease carried by parasites, viruses and bacteria found in sewage as well as urban and farm runoff."


:(



Returning from our venture out on the rocks, Sophie heard some odd chirping and wanted to investigate what it was coming from.


How cute! It kept Sophie occupied!

The Owl

Although I forgot to change the setting on my camera, I still liked the pictures that I got. The owl is on top of the pine tree in the first and second photo's. In the last photo, it is taking off.

One of my favorite ways to pass the time while camping is relaxing around the fire. One evening on a recent trip, there was an owl that came and landed on the top of a pine tree next to us after the sun went down. The owl would hoot to an owl in another tree and they would go back and forth like that. I couldn't help but wonder what they were saying to each other; "Hey, I don't see any rodents on this side, how about over there?"

Where The Wild Flowers Grow ~

A part of camping is being outside the majority of the time. Let's face it, being cooped up in a trailer just isn't fun; it does get small really fast. Although I have to admit staying inside has its perks when there is an occasional down pour or thunderstorm. It is nice to retreat to the trailer and play some board games while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate waiting for it to pass, listening to the rain hit the tin roof.

Being a part of the great outdoors, you can see how many different flowers that grow wild in different parts of the state. Something that I would love to do is go on hikes that focus on wild flowers. Every spring, I will read the many trails that you can take in the news paper that do just this. It never fails, I have something going on which doesn't allow me to go. For instance, I would love to hike in to see the California Vernal Pools. I am so interested in learning about these different flowers (I will have to go to the Library and check out some books this summer).



Now I know this is not a flower and it is a bush. My mom and I where checking out the different wild flowers and we both noticed how this bush was foaming. Kinda scary! We were afraid to touch it! Does anyone have any knowledge about this bush and why it does this?

*Click on photo collage and picture to see it in a larger view.

I Heart Camping

Just behind our trailer are the forever fields of strawberries. If you can picture from a birds eye in the sky; the strawberry fields, a patch of a wooded area (where our trailer is) and then over a vegetative dune scattered with wild flowers and bunnies is the ocean.


Some towels hanging out to dry.


A weathered water faucet.


A mossy green camping storage box at the end of a picnic table.


Some ripe cherries in an old boy scout tin bucket sitting on a picnic table next to an engraved heart .


Standing on top of that hill, watching the sun set.

They call this Sunset Beach for a reason.

I hope that you are enjoying your summer too.
:)

Silver Utensils

There was a lady at the Sonora Spring Festival whose boothe had scattered vintage sterling silver jewellery made out of antique silver utensils. I have seen cuffs or rings before and always had admired them, but had never seen talent like this. There were book markers, necklaces, ear rings, key rings and on and on I could go... Her pieces were beautiful!



I told the lady about my sister (whom shall remain nameless to protect her identity). My sister loves my mom's silver and has mentioned on several occasions that she would just love to make a ring or arm cuff out of my mom's silver. This last Christmas, I was helping my mom set her table for dinner before everyone showed up. I noticed quite a few pieces were missing and she didn't have a full set anymore. My mom expressed to me that with my step-dad helping a lot with washing the dishes, she has found some silverware in the garbage and thinks he doesn't see them while he scrapes the food off of the plate. We also then discussed how my sister always has had her eye on them. We had joked about how one day we might see rings or cuffs adorning her fingers and wrist made out of her silver.



When my sister arrived and pitched right in with helping and getting the food out on the table, she said, "I just love your silver mom!" I almost choked as my mom and I shot a look at each other with both of our eyebrows raised. As the lady listened to the end of my story, she started laughing hard and thanked me because she had not laughed like that in a long time and appreciated a good story!

Looking at my mom's silver... I have to admit, I could see a ring and cuff easily made out of the spoon and fork.

;)

A Country Visit ~

The sweet scent of Lilac could be smelt every where. They seemed to grow wild and were seen every time you turned around.


The trees were happy to see you too and maybe even encouraging a tree hug?


I loved this old truck! My dream is to have one... one day.


At the end of the year Charlie and I discuss with friends who also have a trailer, what trips we want to take and the dates we want to do them on . We write the dates down on the calendar and make sure we get that vacation time in on the calender at work as well. One of the trips we decided to take was to Columbia, California. It was a short trip; we left right after work on Friday and came home on Sunday. I really enjoy the "pick-me-up" I get from these short trips.

On this trip, after we got the trailers all set up, we decided not to break out the B-B-Q and instead just drive into Sonora and have dinner in town. We found a Mexican Restaurant and conversed over dinner. It was so nice and really relaxing. We strolled down the main street after dinner and admired the old buildings. We noticed there was a Spring Festival to be held the next morning and decided to go to it. There were vendors after vendors lining the main street and down a couple of side streets with road blocks. We parked our truck in a shady spot and debated on bringing the girls with us (our dogs bark at everyone) on our walk, deciding the cool air would a lot us time to traipse the area for a couple of hours and they would be okay. As we were finishing the up with browsing vendor booths, I noticed a booth that had toe rings and was so excited because they were the toe rings that I prefer which encircle your toes entirely. As I sat while the very nice lady was fitting my toe with three stack ables (two plain gold and one sterling silver cut embossed), she would have me walk around to see if I was comfortable with the fit. It just didn't feel right, so we did that three more times and ended up with the first set that I tried on. As this was going on, Charlie reminded me that the girls were in the truck and it started to get warm, we really should be getting back. I slipped on my sock and Ariat Fat Baby boot and we headed to the truck fast. Later that night after we said our good-nights to our friends, Charlie and I went over our day, and he realized that he didn't see what toe ring set I had picked. I took my boot off and then my sock and was shocked to see my toe was all swollen.
He gasped, "Babe, it isn't supposed to look like that. Is it?"
I replied, "No, it is just because she was trying to fit me with a size I was comfortable in."
He then said, "You better take them off, I don't think you should sleep with them on. Give your toe some time to get back to the regular size."
I went to the sink and put some liquid dish soap on my toe to slip them off easier. It took a little time with prying them off, but I did it.

The next morning we said our good-byes and off we were heading back home. After I got unpacked, I took my shower and decided to put my toe rings back on. I noticed that my toe was starting to swell again. I have never had this happen and got a little nervous. I tried to take them off again but couldn't. I decided to put my foot in the pool and soak it in the cold water. My toe just got bigger and then it started turning purple. I then put my foot into ice water; still the swelling didn't go down. I panicked and thought, 'I need to get these toe rings off!' I got some liquid hand soap and tried to get them off and indeed did get one off, with only making it worse for the two other rings. My poor toe was not only the color purple, it was now blue and throbbing. Charlie walked into our bathroom to find me on the floor, crying a little with the pain that I was feeling.

Concerned, he asked me, "What is the matter?" I explained to him what I did.
He looked at me like I was crazy and asked me, "What were you thinking?"
He took one look and said, "You are going to have to go the emergency to get them cut off!"
I said, "No way!"
Charlie: "Ang, do you want your toe to fall off?"
Angela: "No."
Charlie: "Well, you have to get them off now. Do you want me to do it?"
Angela: "Yes."
Charlie: "I have to cut them off."
Angela: Bummed, "Okay." Charlie left to go get the cutters out of his work trailer.
The next one to be taken off was the sterling silver Victorian flower ring. I had to try one more time... I loaded my toe up with soap and just stretched my toe out as far as it would go and pulled and pried with all of my might to take it off. I don't know how I did it, but it came off. My toe could take no more. At that time Charlie came in towards me with one hand behind him. He had a weird look in his eyes, like he was telling himself he could do this. I was more nervous about the look in his eyes than about him cutting my ring off.
He said, "Close your eyes."
Angela: "No."
Charlie: "CLOSE your eyes!"
Angela: "NO! Let me see what you have behind your back!"
Charlie: "NO! Ange, please close your eyes so that I can cut it off."
Angela: "Babe, I want to see the cutters. I need to see the cutters."
He slowly pulled his hand from behind him and the cutters... They were huge! I couldn't understand how he was going to get the blade under the toe ring that was wrapped around my swollen and bruised toe. I knew that I had no other choice, it was now or lose my toe!
I told my husband, "Just do it."
He explained to me that when he cut the ring, the ring itself was going to cut my toe and I was going to have to pull the ring apart as soon as he cut it.
Charlie: "Are you ready?"
I nodded yes.
He pushed the big blade down on my swollen toe, to get under the ring and cut.
I screamed and immediately felt the ring puncture my toe just like he said it would and pulled both sides of the ring so that I could get it off.

Believe it or not, it took all day to get three toe rings off. My poor toe. I was so concerned about the girls being in the truck, I wasn't paying attention to how the rings I ended up with actually felt and just went with it.

Spending all day with my toes, they started to look weird to me like ten little nubs. Then I started thinking about how putting rings on our toes is kinda weird too; rings on nubs. I got over it though, and still love and wear my toe rings.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry Fields Forever

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out.
It doesn't matter much to me.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.

No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low.
That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right.
That is I think it's not too bad.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Always no sometimes think it's me, but you know I know when it's a dream.
I think, er No, I mean, er Yes but it's all wrong.
That is I think I disagree.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I get very excited when our local produce market has their opening day. While working the produce market last season, I got to know the strawberry vendor. He is an older man that comes from Watsonville with fresh strawberries that are picked earlier the day before and he leaves before the sun even thinks about waking up (if the sun should do such an act). Strawberries are a popular item so you have to go early because they go fast. When I purchase strawberries from him, he gives me a deal and I always appreciate it.

Sunset Beach is surrounded with rolling fields of strawberries. Whenever we drive by them, I watch the workers pick them and load them onto the trucks to be taken to the grocery stores and markets. I can't help but appreciate the berries even more when I witness this.

My daughter Diandra and I always bust out singing in harmony, Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beetles. The week spent there is always an impressionistic dreamworld experience.

;)