Lake Alpine

We decided to make a stop at Lake Alpine, one of our favorite places to visit off of highway 4. It's absolutely beautiful there...clean air...cool air...friendly people...sights, smells and sounds perfect for the senses. It's close to heaven, I imagine. Some people were fishing...

...some boating...

...some climbing...

...climbing with success...

...some swimming...

...nothing cuter than some swimming!!

Willie Nelson & Sarah Evens

It all started this past Friday evening...my first concert (at the Ironstone Winery Amphitheater) since College. So, I was excited, but didn't have any real expectations. Sarah Evens was opening the show for Willie and I have to say, "Willie, you let me down!" However, those that are die-hard Willie Nelson fans (and those that consumed multiple carafes of wine) were feelin' WN. For me (and my man, Cliff, and our friends Dave & Cathy), Sarah saved the show and she and her band were far better, far more entertaining, far more...people, she saved the show, believe me.

Ironstone Winery is located in Murphys, CA which is about 10 miles from Angels Camp where we stayed the night. Angels Camp is a hoppin' little town, and we happened to stay in the "Jumping Frog Motel!"

I love this handsome dude!

I love this handsome couple...Our friends, Dave & Cathy!


I told you Angels Camp was crazy about frogs. Check out why:

http://www.frogtown.org/jubilee_history.shtml

After eating breakfast, we parted from our friends, D&C (in which we could have a fabulously wonderful time in any circumstances), and traveled north on Hwy 4. We'd see redwoods along the way (looking out our windshield).

We stopped at Bear Valley Ski Resort and had an awesome view of the Sierra Nevada's. We felt we were on top of the world!

See Clifford smiling? Now study it. Keep that grin ingrained in your memory. Why, you ask? You know that thing...that natural bodily function...the one we don't like to talk about and women don't do (if you do, you aught to have it checked out by a doctor., because I don't do it. No sir-ree! You won't catch me doin' it!). It's the thing that men always swear is an accident, but really they force themselves to do it. Uh huh! Yep, keep that grin locked in your mind, because if you see it, you'll know to RUN, FOREST, RUN! (Those that think it's just truly disrespectful, down right dishonoring and any other dis you'd like to throw at me for talking about my Honey Bunny that way, please take it up with my psychologist, therapist or my pastor...on second thought, don't take it up with my pastor! He's my boss!!)

On our way back down from the ski resort, we spotted an isolated patch of about 5 Bristlecone Pines (truly an amazing tree). Read about them:

http://www.amwest-travel.com/awt_bristle.html

I promise I will be back with more of our weekend...

SOMETHING NEW

Well, I just did it. I said I was going to to it, and I did. I didn't wait one more second to make the choice...the right choice. I didn't have a cheerleader to encourage me to do it, I did it solo. I just did it!! What did I do...drum roll please...I signed up at our local physical therapy hospital as a pool member. What that means is I'm basically a health club member without the gym part. Only the pool part. I just felt like I had to do something. It's too dang hot to walk or ride a bike (still) and I could just feel my body losing strength. I love to swim and it made so much sense to make swimming my source of exercise. There are scheduled times for free swim, but, I went to my first water aerobics class this after noon. Okay, now here is the really really funny part, everyone of those women that were in the class were 10 years plus my senior and the only one younger than me was the instructor and she was 20 years old! At first I felt a little out of place...but soon was entertained. and I got to know a few of the members...Marti (with an "i"), Em (short for Emily), Judy, Penny and others, but my favorite was Lucy. Let me describe Lucy to you...oh...my...gosh!! This woman was the epiphany of Retiree Florida USA! She is probably pushing 70, full make up, with bright red lipstick that covers her lips and outer edges. She wears classy sunglasses that have rhinestones, and the hat, let's not forget the hat, it was a stylin' cowgirl hat, a fabulous marine blue, with sparkling sequins. She wasn't going to let working out dominate over her looking beautiful. One of the other things I learned in class, was that these women loved to talk...they talked and talked and talked all while the instructor tried to instruct us. Later I learned that there were rules, "no talking while the instructor is talking". Can you hear me laughing??? I wish you were there, because it was much funnier in person!

Our Military, Our Heros!

We (Cherie and I) had another shoot this week...one that brought a grateful heart...one that touched my soul...one that I will not soon forget.  Sergeant Nash has served in Afghanistan and just returned not long ago from a 15 month tour in Iraq, and will soon be returning to Iraq for another year leaving his 4 year old son and wife (four months pregnant) behind.  You could tell that they were going to make every second count...the love and tenderness they had for each other...the playfulness they shared.  Cherie and I didn't know this family before the shoot, but we felt we were their family when we all parted.  And most of all, aren't you just proud to be an American when people like Sergeant Nash go willingly to serve our country...to keep her free...for you, my friend, and me?  I'm sure this shoot may have touched Cherie and I more than others with our son's serving as well. Cherie and Mike's oldest son is in the Marines (Just returned from Iraq), and their youngest is just now going through boot camp for the Coast Guard.  And, you know that Corry is serving as an Air Force Reservist. Remember to thank our military the next time you see someone in uniform and better yet, pray for them.  To see more photos of this shoot, click on the links to Cherie's and my photography blogs to the right.  

Country Girl

Our photography (I say "our" as I have a partner, Cherie) took us to the country this week and truly, my friend, John Denver and I were singing, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy!"  Country is never far from my heart nor my home and so, our country photography shoot was truly a fun and welcoming change.  The SUV parked in the middle of the pasture was our transportation to our photo shoot location. Parking it in the middle of the pasture was photography strategy, so it wouldn't be in any of our background.  It wasn't long, though, before the SUV was surrounded by cattle and was somewhat interesting to a Brahma bull.

And, there were these cutie-pies (not to be mistaken for cow-pies, although they produce cow pies in which there were many) in the pasture!!

The kids waiting for Little Sister's turn...what better than to wait on a hay wagon!?

"Arrrrrrrrrr Matey!"  Little Sister-Aren't the babies in the family little corkers!

TABLE TALK

Last night while eating dinner, Cliff was explaining that one of our local pharmacies has a scanner at the entrance of the store and you scan your membership card and it spits out all the coupons for that week's sales.  The problem with the story was that he couldn't get the name of the pharmacy quite right..."it's not CVC...that's Central Valley Concrete here in Merced.  And, it's not QVC, that's the shopping network."  Then I asked, "What is that plastic pipe you use?"  Cliff answers, "That's PVC!"  Lacee pipes in, "Do you mean, CVS Paremacy?" "That's it!"  THE END!!

WHAT'S IN YOUR WEEKEND?

Weekends...aren't they great!  For me, in the summer months, weekends mean laundry, and I happen to like hanging my laundry out to dry for all the world to see.  Um um!!  Anyway, this nifty item below was made for me by my awesome friend, Marie.  It's a clothes pin holder/hanger thingy dingy!  It is wonderful because where ever I am it follows (I think it has a homing device or GPS attached in a microchip somewhere).  I never am without clothes pins...hallelujah! 

Most people don't like hanging their towels on the line because they come off very hard and crusty and not at all soft and supple.  But, I happen to believe that hard and crusty means getting all that dead skin off your body!  Now there is a pleasant thought!

Here is my trusted friend...(Lacee's dog), Bailey.  She greets me at the door every morning. Okay, so she greets everyone at the door every morning.   She is such a squirrelly little thing that she very rarely stops for a moment.  Movement is her friend.  However, today as she encouraged me while hanging up my laundry, she sat so pretty for her portrait and I didn't even have to ask her to smile!    

After Work

After work today, Lacee and I drove out to Planada to visit the family...the grand kids and their parents...in that order.  I have to tell you, it's all over for me because I am now officially MUSH!!  That little Margo (2 months old yesterday) is a smiling machine, and I never tired of it. Why does a baby's smile just melt a person's heart?  That smile, is one of the more pleasant responses that connects us socially, and I'm telling ya, I absolutely love baby smiles. I absolutely love my baby granddaughter's smile!  May I also say, that Princess Peanut is also beginning to coo...and her first words were, "I love the Nana!" No, really, it's true!  I know, because I speak baby coo!

Hold on now!  I bet you thought I forgot the bug-a-boo, didn't you!? No way Jose (for those that don't speak Spanish it's pronounced HoeZae not Joesee)!  The bug-a-boo and I had a fabulous time playing...well, honestly I haven't a clue what the name of the video game was, but Maycin versed me on all the gadget's and buttons to push.  Really he knows what he's doing, but I, on the other hand, am very video game challenged (I pushed 2 of the 10 buttons he showed me).  But together, the bug-a-boo and I wiped out evil!!  I wiped out 3 monsters, and Maycin wiped out 2 million, 3 hundred thousand, 9 hundred and 47!  Maybe not that many, but it was a whole lot, believe me!  It was time well spent with my grandson! He's my action hero! 

There is another person in my life...I need not introduce.  It's Miss Muffit!  Okay, so I just introduced her.  Deal with it!  This girl is something else.  She is someone that I love hanging out with and I guess I'm still pretty cool yet, as she will hang out with me on occasion.  But, I have to tell you that everytime we go through a fast food drive through, it's always a 10 minute party with singing, dancing (yeah, haven't you ever danced in the seat of your car?), laughing (at the drive through people that take our orders), laughing some more (at ourselves for laughing at the drive through people that take our orders), and laughing one last time just for good measure.  It's like taking your caster oil without the caster oil.  Keeps folks regular like in every way...physically, mentally and emotionally.  You ought to try it sometime.  So, next time you go through the drive through, take your medicine!

Singing!

Laughing (which could be mistaken for singing)!  Hope your days are as fabulous!

Missed One!

I wondered how I missed this one!!  Taken in June (two days before Margo was born).  I love Maycin's expression and I tweaked the photo a bit with texture in the background.  

Miss Muffit Modeling Hair Comb

Had a visit from the grandkids over the weekend...it was hot!!  Little half naked Bug-a-boo was content just drinking ice-water and crunching crushed ice.

Little half naked Princess Peanut was whooped from the heat.  Isn't she just getting cuter by the moment?  She is 3 days from her 2 month birthday...love the rolls in her legs!

Baby Jack Video