Pinyon and snow~That's My World 122909

I frequently stop at a dirt road which is about halfway up our local mountains, between our home and where I board my horses. The parent of one of our daughter's good friends in high school lives there and I frequently run into him on his morning walk. I love this area as it gives a good view of the snow-covered nearby San Jacinto mountains, but it doesn't often get snow itself. I love the pinyon trees and the yuccas that sprout up among them! That's My World for Tuesday, December 29, 2009.

Macro Monday~Sycamore Leaves 122809

Hubby took these pics using the macro setting while I was working with the horses last weekend. Aren't they pretty? Macro Monday for December 28, 2009.

Wine labels~Odds & Ends~Sunday Stills Challenge 122709

These wine labels are on the wall in the restroom of a little French bakery/restaurant in Healdsburg, CA, which is near Santa Rosa and Sonoma. Isn't that a creative way of using wine labels? Sunday Stills Challenge 122709 ~~Odds & Ends.

"W" is for wagon...ABC Wednesday 12 23 09

And, all of these wagons can be found in Bodie, CA. Bodie is a historical town. It was a mining town in the 1800's and early 1900's. 95% of the town burned down in a fire started by a child in the 1900's, but the remaining town buildings are preserved much as they were back in the old days. You can visit Bodie during the daytime, but...be warned...in winter, it is FREEZING COLD! It was 32 degrees one morning in August! And, in summer, bring extra water as Bodie is very hot and dry. ABC Wednesday, December 23, 2009.

Bird house~Ruby Tuesday~122209

When we went to our favorite mountain restaurant, The Bread Basket, last weekend, hubby and I heard the chattering of gray squirrels. We looked up and saw this red birdhouse. How cute! Ruby Tuesday for December 22, 2009. And, no, the squirrels didn't appreciate us being around their area! For other Ruby entries, please visit: http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

The Bread Basket holiday decorations~Sunday Stills 122009

After visiting the horses and getting three of them trimmed by a new ferrier Saturday, hubby and I headed to Idyllwild for lunch at our favorite restaurant there, The Bread Basket. I was hoping they would be decorated for Christmas and I wasn't disappointed. It was a fairly warm day in our local mountains, the snow was plowed from the snowstorm last weekend, the squirrels were out, and the food was delicious! Here are some pics of their holiday decorations. Sunday Stills Challenge for December 20, 2009.

Desert sky~SkyWatch Friday 121809

I drive from the desert up to our local mountains when I go visit my horses on the weekends. Often the desert skies are very different from those in the mountains. On this weekend, the mountains were cloudy and foggy and it was raining. I ran into the rain coming back DOWN the mountain, but here the skies were patterned with these clouds. You can see the ocotillo in the top photo if you click on the pic. SkyWatch Friday for December 18, 2009.

"V" is for...ABC Wednesday December 16, 2009

"V" is for vineyard. These vineyards are some of those near Paso Robles, CA. ABC Wednesday, December 15, 2009. These photos show the vineyards in spring. They look very different in December, with leaves still on the vine, as well as shriveled grapes.

Wine technology, then and now~Sunday Stills Challenge 121309

I'm always fascinated by the technology that goes into making wine, from this old wine press at Ridge Vineyards, to the rows of barrels which contain the wine. Sunday Stills Challenge for December 13, 2009.

Twin Lakes~Weekend Reflections~121209

I took this photo when hubby and I visited the Twin Lakes near Mammoth, CA. We got there very early one morning during our June vacation. It was a chilly morning and people in the vacation lodges were burning wood....ahhhh....a cold morning, hot coffee, and the smell of pine! Weekend Reflections for December 12, 2009.

Desert morning~SkyWatch Friday 121009

I was out early last weekend, when our last storm came rolling through and was able to capture these rolling clouds on a crisp morning. SkyWatch Friday for December 11, 2009.

A Dusting of Snow~That's My World 120809

I went for a drive Sunday while visiting my horses at the ranch up in the mountains where I board them. From the time I arrived to give them an extra meal, the local hills received a fresh dusting of snow. If you enlarge the photos, you can see the trees with fresh snow on them! This happened silently, while I was out feeding the horses. That's My World for Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

Weekend Reflections~Yosemite

Hubby and I came upon this lake, on the Tioga Pass Road, in Yosemite, in June this year. Yes, there was still snow on the mountains! In fact, when we arrived, it was snowing again. At the entrance to the park, it was sleeting! When we returned to Yosemite in August, the snow was gone, however, so we were lucky to be there in June. It was interesting to see how much the park had changed from June to August. Weekend Reflections for December 5, 2009.

Mountains and Snow~SkyWatch Friday 120409

Our local mountains, the San Jacinto Mountains, near Palm Springs, CA got snow last weekend. It started snowing Saturday. Hubby put his foot down and absolutely would NOT allow me to drive up to the ranch to see the horses (I board them up in those mountains). No, No, NO!!!! First of all, as a native Californian, I have absolutely NO IDEA how to drive in snow. Second, I don't have snow tires. Finally, I didn't have the RAV, which is a 4 wheel drive. So, I stayed home and watched the snow fall on our local mountains. Sunday we both drove up to the ranch to see the horses. Saturday's snow was all gone, but their corrals were wet and muddy, so I gave them an extra meal of mash and beet pulp. The snow was pretty, from a distance. This is the beginning of our "snow season" and a storm is forecast to drop down on us next week, so I'm sure there will be more soon. SkyWatch Friday for December 4, 2009.

"T" is for...ABC Wednesday 120209

trees! The cottonwoods in our local mountains have finally turned brilliant yellow. We discovered pockets of them this weekend while we were up visiting the horses. And, it wasn't every cottonwood. There seemed to be pockets of them. ABC Wednesday for December 2, 2009.

Hay~Mellow Yellow Monday 113009

We saw this field of hay on one of our trips to Paso Robles, CA. It was late afternoon when we drove by this field. I liked the oak trees in the background. Mellow Yellow Monday for November 30, 2009.

"T" is for...Sunday Stills Challenge 112909

tower! We found this water tower on the road to Kennedy Meadows, below Lone Pine, CA. We took an all-day drive up Highway 395 to the Kennedy Meadows turnoff and I spotted this barn and tower near the road. We stopped to take the photo and continued on our way. Sunday Stills for November 29, 2009.

Thoroughbreds and exercise riders at Santa Anita~Sunday Stills Challenge 112209

Hubby and I used to frequently drive two hours to Santa Anita race track to see the races a few years ago. We both took our camera with us. We often woke up at 4:00 and got to the track in the early morning, in time for the morning workouts at Clocker's Corner. I love to watch the exercise riders. But, I especially loved seeing the thoroughbreds. They are so magnificent! I am fortunate to have two throughbreds myself that I've rescued. One, Quad, is an off-the-track throughbred who actually ran in 7 races, but never won, so he was retired to a horse rescue here in California. My other thoroughbred, Gigondas, was rescued from a slaughter-bound feedlot in WA state. She never raced and I believe she was used as a broodmare. My great-uncle used to train throughbreds and we often visited our local race tracks so see his string of horses run. That was in the days when trainers actually walked the throughbreds down to the ocean at Del Mar and let them play in the water! That is no longer done. Anyway, here are some pics of the beautiful thoroughbreds exercising in the morning at Santa Anita Race Track. Sunday Stills Challenge for November 22, 2009.