how is it that november has flown by while the rest of the year just couldn't crawl along any slowlier? like october, that dreadful month. proof that time does slow down when you're not having fun.
anyway, i can't remember the last time i saw the golden retriever. i wonder if she remembers me.
isn't it awesome? i got this email message from facebook saying leslie tagged me in a photo. seeing how i am waffles dadawg on facebook, i thought may be she got a picture of a golden retriever.
but no, it's a pile of sticks on a mossy stone! i love it! thank you, leslie!
this is what happens when you ask a sketchup enthusiast to build you a crafting table. i was hoping for something made from a set of ikea table legs and half a hollow core door, something just big enough for a sewing machine and some pertinent junk. next thing i know, i'm getting cold rolled steel legs and snooty grade plywood.
i'm told that the slit in the plywood is for the power and pedal cords. i hope he has the tools to customize this table.
jg rides up romero canyon on a weekly basis. i decided to join him this past sunday. i rarely ever hike this trail, probably because the last time i did i fell and bloodied my knee up pretty good.
get out of my way!
it was a pretty chilly day. i hiked with a real jacket zipped up to my chin. even so, i was shivering the whole way. i didn't mind; it was nice to see everything so green.
under the double oak tree
the creek was low but flowing steadily. the air was thick with the smell of sulfur.
seen at the creek crossing
by the way, is it odd that i don't mind the smell of sulfur? it reminds me of the hot springs baths up in tassajara. i actually kinda like the stink.
it's a blown out shot (quelle surprise) but that's what the hiking trail head looks like. it starts just past the creek crossing and follows up the creek. i fell somewhere on this route last time so i opted to stick with the fire road.
well used fire road
note schmee's new shoes
i was about the only hiker on the fire road. along the way i had to dodge downhill bikers. each time i stepped aside to wait for a biker to pass, i would notice something in bloom. it's sort of incredible how plants are thriving when days are so short.
night shade, i think
how i miss dr eeob. i need her help in identifying these flowers!
lichen love
wind blown prayer flags
that was most curious to me. an agave was planted near the structure and there were flower petals scattered around a seat height rock. a ceremony of some sort happened there.
wild peas?
on a fallen trunk
standard vs lucky edition
those flowers grow on a very prickly looking bush. not sure if i've seen it before. look how it grew right out of the sandstone.
name this plant
wild anise
blow out
there were a few rock slides on the trail and that one was most disconcerting. probably happened during the big down pour we had in october.
oak vs sycamore
that one guy's waffles
an enormous two year old golden retriever named max. he came running toward me and for a moment i imagined getting knocked over by this bounding puppy.
the biker, also zipped to the chin
jg biked a total of twelve miles. i only hiked two, but i enjoyed it. i would have enjoyed it a lot more if i wasn't shivering so much. at the bottom of the hill, jg casually commented, "i can't feel my fingers." it was a truly cold day.
i meant to write sooner but i've been so lazy uh i mean very busy. plus, there isn't much that i want for christmas this year. the cold weather must have frozen my little greedy heart.
so if it isn't too late, i would like to have the following non-essentials:
1. i just learned about the firefly series two weeks ago and i can't stop
watching it. i'm borrowing the dvds from the library and they're due
soon. i was thinking how nice it would be if i had my own copy.
2. i hear great things about the canon g11. i like that it's almost two
pounds lighter than the hunk of coal i call the xti.
3. these vers speakers now come with radio. i have no idea how well it
works but the concept is neat. i would really like the one in walnut.
4. don't you love how the msr hyperflow water filter matches your outfit?
i would really like to have it, except i wouldn't keep it for myself.
chris lent us his water filter when he took us backpacking in august
and we broke it. it would be awfully nice if you could bring me uh
i mean chris this snazzy little filter.
that's all i want this year, santa. we don't have a fireplace here so if you could bring me any of these things, please leave it at the front door. thank you.
love,
schmee
ps: if you happen to have an extra golden retriever pawing around in your bag,
please leave it, too. i love you, santa!
those are all the xmas cards that jg and i received this year. i got a few xmas presents, too, including dvds of the firefly series and movie. thanks, chee!
remember how i slyly asked santa for a golden retriever? well, this is what i got:
close, but no cigar
the following pictures are some of my most favorites of 2009. i weeded them out of the 162 which jg marked as his favorites. i picked them mostly because they have not been posted before. so, here we go, in chronological order:
1/6: our fourth floor apartment in sf
taken by jg
2/6: that one bridge
3/3: my lunch date on cabrillo
3/7: tidepooling at montana de oro
3/7: jg messing around at the mission san luis obispo
3/8 tidepooling at devereaux
3/8 not tidepooling at devereaux
3/15: the beginning of squarefoot gardening
3/22: blown away on saddle rock trail
3/31: jg visiting his momma
4/12: arlington peak (en route to cathedral peak)
4/29: one of karen's roses
4/29: julie watching over dolly
4/29: jeff petting waffles
6/13: schmee at the top of mist trail, kings canyon national park
6/13: jg in paradise valley, kcnp
6/14: jg wearing his picnic lunch at tokopah falls, sequoia national park
