A PEACEFUL SETTING

We recently took a drive to Oak Glen and saw the wildflowers in bloom.  It was so beautiful and I'm looking forward to more visits to this area especially in the fall.

Before visiting Oak Glen, the same day we took our grandson to his friend's house about an hour away - which will be the last time he will go there for a long time.  On June 21 he will be boarding a plane for about a month visit in Bend with his cousins and then to Washington where possibly all four of my sons will meet at our oldest son's place (which I am looking forward to seeing them all at one time)...  and then Hunt will go  on to Montana to start anew with his dad and his family.  It will have been 14 months since we first made the choice to keep him here while his dad took care of what was needed.   We will miss him of course, but will I miss raising a teenager again, not really.  It's been a time of being even closer to him than I had before but now it's time for him to join his family again.  He's missed his dad so much and is looking forward to his life in Montana and starting high school in a totally different state.


This area is in the foothills not too far from where we live and a favorite place of mine to visit especially in the fall.  They are known for their apple orchards and during the fall it is best to stay away on the weekends because it gets so crowded.  We went on a Friday early afternoon and the crowds hadn't arrived yet.

We didn't even leave the house over the weekend because Lake Gregory is crazy crowded over Memorial Day weekend.  It's quieter day - i guess people use today to travel home.

How was your weekend.

OAK GLEN WILDFLOWERS

We were there a few days ago and found it really beautiful.  I'll be posting more wildflower photos in time.

WINTER AND SPRING - SAME HOUSE BUT IT'S BEEN PAINTED - WHICH DO YOU LIKE BEST.

A few months back (I take photos every time we pass this house in Twin Peaks)  I noticed the house had been painted.  I wonder if it is the same owners or if someone else bought it.  I rather like the red trim - which one do you like?  I also have a photo of the new paint on the house in the snow - the first pic was taken in winter of 2014 and the second one spring of 2016.

This Acorn Woodpecker stopped by the other day and when he bent down for food I could see the beautiful patterns of his feathers.

I came across this video of a beach area I haven't been to in years - my sister lived here in the 70's.  It's a drone going over the Wednesday Sunset series of sailboats.  I now know I need to visit there on a Wednesday.  I'm sad that we are actually going to be at the coast tomorrow - but not where this is taking place and also it would be  too late.  I saw where the sunset sailboat series is starting again for 2016.   Anyway if anyone does choose to watch it, it's definitely beautiful in full screen when the video gets to the part of the sailboats in front of the setting sun.

A HOUSE WORTHY OF A POEM OR SHORT STORY

But no time to write one-  It's more important to go shopping over at Lake Arrowhead grocery store for our weekly Starbuck's bag of coffee.

I love this house I saw in Claremont the other day.  Something about it speaks to me.  I think it's more the setting than the house.  But it feels like a perfect movie "set" house for a small town story.

HILARY AND BERNIE TOGETHER (Kate McKinnon and Larry David do great impressions)

THE LAKE IS BEING PREPPED FOR ITS' SUMMER CROWDS

Beautiful but breezy day and I hope to get out and enjoy the weather today, either here in town or Lake Arrowhead or on up to Big Bear.  But before I go...  just a few things I thought to post.  Recently I took photos in Claremont and when I came across these sherbert color houses I couldn't decide which one I will choose to live in one day (in my imagination because prices are exorbitant -  in the town of Claremont.  These little beauties are probably close to 800,000 to a million.  It's ridiculous but I would love to live in this college town.  So which one would you choose...I'm having a hard time but I think it would be the Spanish style one.  Just looking at these make me want to move - immediately.

(edit)  I just looked up median house costs in Claremont which is  631,000 but I think if it is close to the village it is more and these are near the village.  So my dream is still out of my reach - way out).

My favorite color on a car is this shade of yellow - especially on a jeep.  I noticed these two bumble bees the other day while walking near my favorite food place, Toni's.  I also noticed that the North  Shore Inn which is next to  Toni's has their flags out and are readying the place for the big holiday weekend coming up soon.

And the lake will soon be hosting Splash Island again - the first few pieces have been floated out which means soon - very soon are little town will be inundated with families who make lots of noise while having fun and of course, there is always the sirens - that will be heard almost on a constant basis as some people have yet to learn how to drive the mountain roads without texting while going around curves.  I hope they are all safe and no accidents this year.  A lot of people come up the mountain to enjoy the lake but one BIG problem which is talked about on all the mountain forums up here is how people leave their trash - whether it's summer or winter - which is even a bigger problem as people come up with plastic throwaway sleds and leave them all over the mountain.  I'm not a complainer about it all because I pretty much stay put on days people are around but the locals go on and on and on and on about it - always.

This picture below stands exactly as I photographed it - no editing at all - when I saw her in the lake and noticed the colors - it looked like a beautiful pastel painting that even Vincent Van Gogh might have painted with its' beautiful swirls of white on blue - looking like a Van Gogh sky.  We have a LOT of pollen falling lately from the cedar trees (and other types of trees) and it makes for messy cars windows, extremely runny noses but beautiful lake water.

This little flower is blooming all over right now and I don't know what it is.  The blooms are about the size of my thumb and they grow in a clump low to the ground.  I'm thinking a trip up to Heaps Peak Arboretum near Running Springs might be in order - as they have lots of indigenous plants all around with labels explaining what they are.

This is for my sis who loves umbrellas.  One of my favorite houses I pass by whenever I walk over at the lake has their red umbrellas out.   They always put them out in May.

PHOTO FROM JANUARY

One day we took a drive up to Mile High where the houses are pretty and the snow fall is magical - it's about 5 minutes from the house - still in our town but up behind the town.  I'm still editing photos from earlier in the year.  This one I liked a lot so thought I'd put it up even though we "should" be done with snow - but one never knows because people have said a few times that there has been snow in June.  I've posted this house in different seasons but not sure if I have posted it before with snow.

SOME NICE HOUSES IN THE FOG

After  stopping in at Stater Brothers thought I would photograph some houses in the fog along the shoreline at Lake Arrowhead.  The fog at one point rolled in very heavy and between photographing the houses in the fog and the new babies (one mother duck has 14 babies and another one has seven babies) I left and enjoyed the rest of the foggy day at home.  Even though these are pretty houses i would never want one as big as one of those.

Stater Brothers is just beyond these buildings so it's a quick walk down to the shore.  If you have to make a trip to the grocery store - this is a nice place to go. The fog rolled in quickly and it became really chilly but I didn't notice how cold I was until after I got all my photos.

IN EVERY SEASON BURNT MILL CANYON IS BEAUTIFUL

This area is in Lake Arrowhead.  I love to drive or walk through in the fall when the trees are full of color but also in the spring when the dogwoods are blooming all through this area.  Most of the houses are set way back on the properties so it's hard to see them when all the trees are in bloom.  I also came here in winter to photograph the houses when the trees were bare.  Here are some from the other day when we took out because it was foggy and I love to get photos in the fog.  When we got here the fog was cleaning for the most part.

Any houses in these pics were close to the road.

This is getting more to the area where the houses are hidden.