Stop Hounding Me!

Away

So, we skipped town last weekend for a quick 2-night trip to El Capitan State Beach.  Right next to our tent, there was a little flat spot with room for our chairs and a dog bed and a direct view of this:

We spent quite a bit of time in that spot.  The pups thought it was a great place to nap.  And beg for treats.  Twix does a mean high five with the right motivation.

We also spent some time at Arroyo Burro dog beach, which is only a 20 minute drive from the campground.  Dogs aren’t allowed on state beaches, so we took them to the dog beach at low tide on Saturday.

The added bonus of low tide at the dog beach? Tidepools!

Naturally, we made it back to camp in time for sunset. I wouldn’t want to miss this.

We were up early Sunday morning, and made our way quietly to the beach with the dogs to catch the sunrise.  It was quick enough not to get caught by anyone who would yell at us about dogs on the beach, but long enough for the dogs to find a dead lobster to roll on.  Good times.  Beautiful sunrise.

Not a bad way to spend a weekend.  I hope we can do it again soon!

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The Dog Beach

El Capitan

Just Enough

I don’t feel right talking about how perfect our weekend in Cambria was because poor Catch was so sick—but even so, it was pretty perfect.  I think Catch’s horrid cold really forced us to lay low and not run ourselves ragged trying to SEE ALL THE THINGS.

We ate dinner at the same restaurant two nights in a row because a) it was fantastic, and b) it was a 3-minute walk from our hotel.  Not very adventurous, but totally indulgent.

There was wine.  We sat on a blanket and rested our backs against a giant piece of driftwood and drank wine out of plastic hotel cups as the sun set.

There were seals--everywhere.  Sunning themselves on rocks.  Playing on the beach. 

There were tidepools filled with starfish and neon colored anemones.

Naps were taken while the fireplace flickered.  Cider was sipped as the fog rolled in and settled for the night.

Catch picked out yarn from a local shop and requested a new hat for winter dog walks.   

We even stopped and picked a few baskets of apples in an orchard on our way home. 

Weekends like this don't come along often, and I am trying my hardest to hold onto it.  I needed this.  We needed this. 

I popped that first clomid last night with a sip of water, a quick kiss from Catch, and a silent prayer.  I love these weekends away, but I would have been just as happy to be the couple across from us at lunch playing with a giggling baby girl as I was to be the sunset couple on the beach.

Road Trip - In a Nutshell

I could write a book about our recent road trip.  Having a July anniversary has given us an excuse for some fantastic summer vacations. This wasn't an Alaskan cruise, but it was still a fantastic way to mark the 5 year anniversary of our (real) wedding (also the 8 year anniversary of our first date.)

We left on Friday afternoon and made it all the way from California, through Nevada, a snippet of Arizona and into Richfield Utah that night.  We had a less than mediocre anniversary dinner at an Applebee's in some random little town in Utah around 9 pm. Oddly enough, it's not the first time we've had a less than mediocre anniversary dinner at Applebee's in some random little town off a highway around 9 pm.  

After day 1, things improved dramatically and we found ourselves here:

(Spotted Wolf Canyon, Utah)

And then finally, here--my sister in law's ranch house near Fort Collins, CO:

This guy's name is Phil.  He cracke me up.  If 80s hair bands were comprised of chickens, Phil would have found his calling for sure.

I love it there because I get to dote on the horses... it's all my little girl fantasises come true!

We left Fort Collins a few days later and headed through Wyoming and into Hill City South Dakota.  

We saw the Crazy Horse Monument

Mount Rushmore 

We rode the "1880s Train" (pretty self explanatory)

Saw a gazillion deer everywhere we went

'

Had a few drinks...

Visited Sturgis just a few days shy of Bike Week (I didn't feel out of place AT ALL)

And finally, hit the road again toward home, stopping along the way in...

For a night of camping here:

Under these:

I'd say we have a knack for taking some pretty fantastic trips.  

 

Getaway

My mom and I have been trying to find the time to get up to one of our new favorite wineries for months.  It's just a few hours outside of L.A., but we when we managed to make our schedules line up, there'd be rain in the froecast.  We were envisioning a picnic lunch with a bottle of wine in the sunshine, and a rainy weekend wasn't going to cut it.

Then, Saturday happened.  We left her house around 9:30, and by 11:30, we were headed into the rolling green hills of Foxen Canyon near Santa Maria.  We tasted wine until we couldn't stand it anymore, and then turned around and headed to our hotel room in Santa Barbara.  It was about 40 minutes away from where we were, and on our way, I took us on a detour through another canyon I had discovered while camping with Catch a few weeks ago.  

We drove up and up until we ended up high in the hills with a slightly hazy, slightly sunny, beautifully green view of the Pacific Ocean...

When we'd had enough of the wind threatening to blow us right out of the hills, we headed to our hotel and found it situated across the street from the beach.

Our room was on the ground floor with a patio overlooking pristine grass, palm trees and sparkling blue ocean.

I wish I'd taken some photos while we were wine tasting, but I was so wrapped up in the wine and the rustic scenery that I never took my camera out.  I did manage a few photos at the beach, though...

I came away from the weekend with eight bottles of wine from Foxen Vineyard and a few more from Kenneth Volk.  It was a perfect weekend--the kind you want to try to tuck into a bottle so that you can take a sip and remember the feeling of the warm sun and the smell of the wine and the ocean anytime you want.

El Capitan

I'm still waiting to feel 100% human again--this cold has really kicked my butt, and I'd be happy to wean myself off of the box of tissues any day now.  

Fortunately, the sickness didn't stop us from going camping this weekend.  We were going to cancel, but I told Catch that there wasn't much difference between me being home sick on the couch or sitting in front of a nice warm campfire with my tissues.  

I am so glad we went.  I needed this trip so badly.  I didn't even realize how badly I needed it.

We chose site 81, opting for priivacy rather than an ocean view.  It was fine with me because it forced us to go on some fantastic walks to enjoy the ocean.

El Capitan State Beach is one of my all time favorite weekend camping spots.  Close enough for a weekend, but with scenery that makes you feel away.

We enjoyed our campfires... especially Rolo because he was COLD. He's really not the biggest fan of camping.  

We walked for miles--it was so beautiful I could have kept going forever...

I think I wouldn't mind living inside one of these photos forever...

We spent a good hour sitting in front of a fire trying to figure out when we could go back.  I hope it's soon.  

Red, Orange, Yellow...

Yesterday, Los Angeles broke a a 30+ year old record for lowest recorded temperature on that day.  We put on scarves and sweatshirts and took the dogs for a walk just before 5 o'clock.  I'm glad we don't live in a place where winter is brown and white.

Red berries

Oranges

The last few bright leaves on a small maple tree

Yellow leaves

A Stroll...

Leaving Rolo at the vet hospital was totally draining. Walking out of a vet's office with my dog's collar and leash in hand was reminscent of putting my childhood dog down when I was nineteen.  Not a fun thought when my sweet baby boy is seriously ill.

When I got home, I was sleepy and depressed, and rather than do any of the productive things I had planned to do, I curled up on the couch with Twix, an oversized fuzzy blanket, and NCIS re-runs on cable.  Catch took one look at me when she got home from work and insisted that I get dressed because we clearly needed to go out for a walk.

With only one dog to walk, I was able to bring my camera.  I really do love our neighborhood.

Sunshine hiding behind beautiful puffy rain clouds 

Twix wants to know what the hold-up is. I'm clicking away.

This is one of my favorite plants on our walks.  Orange buds with purple flowers--and it's winter.

I love the branches on this tree.  

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More sunshine hiding behind clouds twoard the end of our walk. I hate the house, but love the lines of those tall, whispy tree branches silhouetted in front of the cloud.  

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A Houndful of Issues...

More

There are few things I'm sure of lately, but one thing I know for certain is that I need to try to make more time for skies like this.  And for taking more pictures of skies like this.

Kern River Camping

Our camping trip to the Kern River this year had its high points and its low points, but I'm going to try to only remember the high points.  All I'll say about the low points is that I don't understand why large groups of people feel the need to go camping just to drink like idiots and blast their music--it ruins the experience for those of us who are looking to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.  We should be able to fall asleep at night to the sounds of crickets and a rushing river, not to the thump of the radio, the crush of beer cans and the screeching of children who should have been asleep hours ago. Basic camping etuquette seems to have vanished.

The weather was wonderful--hot (as you would expect), but not too miserable like it can be. As long as you had a cold drink in hand, and your feet (at least) in the river, all was right with the world.

We had to move campsites after our first night, but I'm so glad we did--we camped in an area of our favorite campground (Goldledge/Gold Ledge) that I've never been in before, and it gave us so much privacy--and our own swimming area away from the masses.  It was WONDERFUL.  

I forced myself to use my (Nikon) camera on manual settings only this time around, and only brought my 50mm 1.8 lens.  (I LOVE that lens.) I wish I'd brought my tripod because on some of the long shutter speeds I was balancing the camera on a rock and shooting 25 times in the hopes of getting a stable image.  It worked most of the time, but didn't give me many options on the angle of the shot.

The view from the middle of the river just a short walk from where we were swimming

Rapids on a slow shutter speed

The view from our campsite looking down at the river

Moon rising over the hills

My dad, fishin' away...

We left the river wanting very much to go back as soon as possible. I call that a successful camping trip.

Alaska

We’ve had so much going on in our lives, lately and I’ve just been too wrapped up in the moment to bother sitting down and writing about it—but some of it really does deserve the mention.

For example… Alaska. We took a Holland America cruise aboard the Westerdam at the beginning of July for my mom's 60th birthday.  It was just the three of us in a Verandah suite with a beautiful balcony and it was perfect.

Alaska was amazing. Probably the most beautiful place I have ever been—and I have been to some beautiful places.

From the glaciers and icebergs to the rainforest and bald eagles, I am absolutely in love with Alaska.  There really aren’t even words to describe, so I’ll just show you a few photos:

This one was taken on our way into Glacier Bay. It is my favorite photo from the trip, I think.  I have already had it printed as large as it can possibly be--now I just have to wait until I can afford to have it framed.

This one was taken in the morning as we approached Juneau. It's actually an iPhone photo--and thank goodness for iPhones, because I managed to forget my camera battery.  Fortunately, there was a shop in Juneau where we could get it all sorted out because this was not a trip to be without a camera.

This particular bald eagle was spotted in Ketchikan, but there were so many.  It was amazing to be able to pause for a moment, look up, and see one of these guys soaring overhead.

This was taken in the Totem National Forest in Sitka.  I absolutely loved Sitka.  Although I loved Ketchikan, too.  It's a toss up with those two--they are surrounded by such beauty.

Here are a few more from Glacier Bay:

Alaska gave me a travel bug, for sure. I have ten trips in my brain, and after this trip, none of them in the budget--se la vie!