No Dogs On Beach

It was a perfect weather day for a trip to Half Moon Bay. All was well until we discovered the poor dogs wouldn't be allowed on the beach. Did we let that stop us? Hush! Don't they look happy after their romp? We are happy too... we didn't get caught.

It's a little late but yes I did get my photo on the 365 Project last night. Here it is... leaving the Lafayette Reservoir after the Rossmoor Big Band USO show.

Dinner Is Served

Little J is working on his cooking skills in hopes of losing the "OhPickyOne" nickname. His entree for tonight's chicken enchilada dinner turned out to be a tasty perfection. Grandma's addition of some fresh fruit and Cole slaw rounded out the menu. Perhaps we have a future chef in our midst.

Send in the Clouds

I'm seeing a trend in this blog lately. I guess it goes along with the old saying, if you can't find something safe to talk about, talk about the weather. Kind of boring perhaps but, yes, it is safe. The clouds are a welcome relief from sticky hot days. My garden could have used a downpour but it sprinkled only enough to mess up the cars.

Drought Berries

It's an annual tradition to have at least one piled high, golden brown, old fashioned blackberry pie, usually in August. Doesn't look like much will happen in the next 30 days so might as well put away the recipe book. Will be lucky to get enough berries for a bowl of cereal. Planning to do some serious trimming end of summer and hope for a better crop next year.

Catnap Weather

Another day of nearly 100 but it's supposed to be noticeably cooler tomorrow. Now that I'm working at home more, I get to see how the kitties survive the heatwave. Wanda takes a spot near the semi-productive air conditioner in the living room yet Rusty still takes up desktop real estate.

Tunnel Vision

I've been trying to get a good photo inside the new bore of the Caldecott Tunnel but since I'm usually the one behind the wheel, it's a bit awkward. I gave Little J a shot at it this morning on the way to church and this is what he came up with. Maybe I should have washed the windshield first. Next time. Meanwhile we are enjoying a faster commute to Oakland these days.

Pizza Moons

Little J's counselor suggested that he might want to learn how to cook this summer since he is so picky about what I put in front of him. So here was his first attempt straight out of All Recipes. It worked. He ate them with gusto and actually they weren't bad.

Frustrations

Today's cable experience turned out to be worse than yesterday's car ordeal. First the promises:  I'd have better equipment and more channels; I'd have faster internet (25mbps); plus I'd save $20 a month. Or course I'd jump on that deal. So the installer shows up. "Where do you want the phone?" he asked. I was quick to inform him that there was no phone in this deal. He came back with something about a package deal but that he would go ahead with the install without the phone and I could call Comcast and straighten it out. After over an hour hour on the phone with Comcast: I get to keep the upgraded equipment; I get a slight increase in internet speed (6mbps); I don't get any extra channels; I pay $20 more per month. Happy? NO NOT AT ALL. The first lady offered me three months of HBO and Showtime for my trouble. By them time I got though with the manager, that went out the window with the rest of the promises.  Oh, and did I mention, there is an outage on cable TV this evening? This isn't over yet.

Driveway Ornament

After yesterday's frustration with returning the leased vehicle, I bit the bullet. So here is my commitment to working another six years. Hoping it will last as long as I am capable of driving. Hey, I didn't like having a blue car anyway. It just wasn't queenly enough for this red hatter.

Oak Galls

What tender morsel is this little guy after? I haven't observed this before but am guessing there must be something good to eat in there. This is the best I can do for today.

Most of the day was taken up at the car dealership... my lease was up and the options are bewildering. Let's just say, I don't think I'll ever lease a car again... there are too many hitches when the time is up. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I should know better.

Expect Delay

One small delay and the entire day is thrown off. Problem is since there are 20 minute delays at both routes out of town, there is no escape. So who is responsible for both ends of town being blocked at the same time? There has to be some logic somewhere. Beginning to feel like we are living Under the Dome.

Invader

Another frequent visitor to my home office has been scrambling around the new bird feeder. There was a bit of a ruckus atop the eaves this morning with his clumsy approach. He has been peeking over the edge of the roof all day but I suspect he'll figure out the angle soon enough. Meanwhile today's flying visitors included California Towhees, a Mourning Dove, a couple of Blue Jays, the house finches and a couple others I haven't identified.

Bird Sanctuary

Despite my filling a nearby feeder with the special blend from Wild Birds Unlimited, Mama Bird was not pleased to have me hanging out on the patio this sunny warm afternoon. I'm willing to share that wee bit of real estate under the eaves so in turn she must accept that there will be a landlord on site. It happens to be just outside my office door and provides a cheerful and melodic respite while from working at home. All the more reason to leave my yard as nature intended it.

Kid in the Candy Shop

One can't go to Old Sacramento without stopping by the taffy shop. After all there are free samples. That is free samples every single time I have ever been there except yesterday. I should have known when I saw the security guards. To make a long story short, Grandma got busted sampling the Red Velvet Taffy. When we returned today, the old deal was back... we each got to sample two pieces (fortunately they didn't seem to remember me and the sentinels were gone). So many choices.

4th of July

View from the Tower Bridge fireworks at Raley Field. We scattered with the crowd for the best view. Perfect warm evening treat. Happy 4th!

Life is a...

Bowl of Cherries. Getting in gear for the 4th of July so looked for something red, white and blue. Seems like it's hard to shoot red as I discovered before when trying to shoot a display of all my red hats. So this is my late in the day attempt to get something in just under the wire. Going to go eat them now... sweet strawberry cherries.

Scoping it Out

Glad it wasn't me going in there. I was perfectly happy to settle in on this side of the door. All came out well. Seems like the older we get, the more time we spend in these kinds of waiting rooms.

Meanwhile an elderly lady (yes I can say elderly... I may be old but I'm not elderly yet) accompanied her hubby into the prep room. When she came out, the receptionist told her to make herself comfortable and if she needed it there was a restroom over in the corner. She sat on the edge of her seat opposite me scoping out the room. After a few minutes of studying the man/woman sign on the door, she asked the receptionist, "So where is the restaurant you mentioned?"

Blue Fortune

Agastache Blue Fortune is the latest addition to our garden. I was looking for a "butterfly" plant and this is what was available in our local nursery. It was labeled "Hummingbird Mint." Supposed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds and it flourishes with little water and not a lot of care. On top of that it is deer resistant. All key words for me. But wait - what are those little purple and red critters lurking about the pot?