SCENES FROM YESTERDAY - DRIVING THROUGH FOG

After a week of fog and clouds - last night it finally cleared up.  Before it cleared up we had to go to Lake Arrowhead to drop off our grandson for a birthday party.  I took some photos along the way - all of them from the car so some aren't too clear.

LOVE THIS AREA

Came across these "legs" and wanted them on my blog again.  I love this photo.  I believe (maybe my sister can tell me if I'm wrong) from googling stores in SLO I think this was called "The Sock Drawer" shop.  Laura maybe u can check that out for me.  It seems as if I took more photos at a different time and they had these legs with different socks on, but I don't know what file to look in.

Makes me want to go back to the coast -But first will be Bend next week and maybe a trip to the coast in the summer and for sure over Thanksgiving.

This the was trip when I had Mackenzie with us and she and Hannah - My sister's granddaughter were at the "Barn" standing near the flowers.

and then the last one - is nostalgic for me - I am really missing having the family all near by (except for one son who lived father) and we would have family dinners sometimes at the house.  I also loved my rustic kitchen.  I just happened to see this pic again.


Today is another day of heavy fog, dreariness and evidently some melancholy.  But like the fog it will blow through and be bright and sunny again soon. 

A COLD CLOUDY DAY

I thought I'd put up a few photos taken recently.  Really don't have much to talk about other than our grandson (who is now living with us) was enrolled in school this last Monday and is enjoying it - and we are pretty much back to our normal routine now.  I haven't gotten to walk at the lake as much as I would like the last few weeks and now it's just too chilly so I'm not motivated to go get that walk in.

Yesterday we had the first Bullock's oriole return to the area.  I think this is a female as she is a prettier lighter color than the male and below is a photo of a pretty female house finch all fluffed up because of the chilly weather.

This cat is a daily visitor to the yard - she isn't friendly - does not come even close to us - just wanders through to find some food.  She did take care of our gopher problem the other day.  RIP gopher.

A few blooms seen along the lake walk.

Mike brought me flowers a few weeks ago and as they were starting to droop and die out I took some photos of them.  This is one of them.  I find them the prettiest at this stage.

This pigeon has a normal beak in the above photo but look at the other pigeon I saw the other day.  I can't even figure out how he can eat.

Definitely some type of mutation happened with his beak.  It makes me want to catch him and feed him by hand.

This female robin was at the lake - We have so many of them now whether in the yard or whereever you walk.  They are busy growing baby robins no doubt.

I still continue to take a lot of duck photos - some day it will get boring but not so far.

And lastly - I'm getting a little tired of seeing this gnome look at me when I'm out hiking.    He was actually hanging upside down in a tree so I had to turn the photo upside down to see what his face looks like - ...  There are three of them in a tree by the lake.

I wish someone would take him down - I really don't like this cold icy stare.

And how is life flowing for you?

LOOKING THROUGH MY PHOTOS FROM BEND

I came across this photo of Jake that I took while we waited for his sister to get out of school.   Something nagged at me and I went back several times to look at it and then a lightbulb went off.  I took it into photoshop and flipped it the other way, took out the writing on the red crub - added some quick cross walk marks and a name on the cement sign and called it done.

Here are 11 interesting facts about the Abbey Road cover.
LINK HERE

WOULD LOVE TO LEARN HOW TO FOLD TISSUE LIKE THIS

and ...before we moved to these mountains I never knew what a dogwood tree looked like.  Lately I've been enjoying them throughout the mountains and taking photos as I pass them.  I particularly liked these I took at the lake the other day.  The blue sky behind them made for a beautiful background.

BACK FOR A BIT

Life's been busy but I did manage to sit down yesterday and catch this pretty little hummingbird up in the tree just chilling out.

The colors of this tree and the fragrance is great.  I don't know what type of tree but in the fall the yellow leaves are heart shaped - ...so I looked it up and I think it's a species of red bud but then ....i think it could be a wild lilac tree.  I brought some of the blooms in the other day and put them in a bowl in my bedroom because it smelled so good.

I was taking a break out on the deck when I looked across at the tree and could barely make out this little cutie - but my zoom brought her in close.

WIND TURBINES

When we were going to Joshua tree area the other day - we passed near the Palm Springs exit - but instead went north.  What you see is actually very beautiful if it's a nice day with a mix of clouds and sun.  These views were seen as we were coming back down into the area near Palm Springs from where we visited up in Josuha tree.

Here is an excerpt from an articles about them..

The first one by the way was put in, in 1980. 

....
“There are no windmills, only wind turbines,” he explains.
And there are about 2,700 of them in San Gorgonio Wind Park — the oldest wind farm in the United States.
A wind turbine is a device that converts wind energy into mechanical energy, which is then used to produce electricity. As heat rises from the desert floor, it creates a low-pressure area filled by the cool air blowing in from the Pacific Ocean, 90 miles west, explains Tom, who has 30-plus years experience working in energy farms.
“As the wind rushes toward the desert, it is forced between the mountains (Mount San Gorgonio at 11,503 feet and Mount San Jacinto at 10,833 feet), creating a Venturi effect — similar to placing your finger on a garden hose,” he demonstrates.
Wind speeds in the pass have reached 80 mph — only 5 mph faster than a Category 1 hurricane. The area harvests enough wind energy to power about 300,000 homes. "That’s three times the amount of power we need to run Palm Springs,” Tom says.
On this Best of the Best Tour

More about them Here - if you are interested. 


 Do you have wind farms near you?