Corky's parents are leaving in the morning so Corky is here at "Camp Del" and will be here for ten days. He understands that he has two homes and obeys the rules of whichever home he is in. Smart dog. We'll go for a walk every single day - even if we must wait for the sun to go down and the temperature along with it. Although today was lovely with high of 76F.

We walked in the little park behind my house today and saw more signs of autumn. The liquid amber (Sweet Gum) leaves are starting to turn red, yellow and orange.

and the seed pods are already drying to brown.

Just down the street is a Curly Willow tree that cannot be more than ten years old, but it has gotten huge. The previous owners kept it trimmed, a necessity for this tree or it will take over the neighborhood. But the new owners don't seem to care.

Curly Willow is widely grown for the bare twisting branches which are used in flower arrangements, wreaths and baskets.

This is my favorite palm tree - isn't it gorgeous? I'm not usually into bling and I know it is silly, but it is guaranteed to bring smiles, at least to my face. And head shakes from many viewers.

I think of it as a California Exotic Palm and only hang it on special occasions - such as taking this picture to share with you.

Enchanted w/the moon 09-11-08

It is cooler at night now and the Sycamore leaves are turning brown, seems like autumn is on its way. There were very white broken clouds at 8pm when I left the BCQG meeting in San Juan Capistrano. The moon is waxing gibbous and the moonlight lit up the clouds to make them even whiter. Impossible to take a picture without some glow from the parking lot lights - the green hazy at bottom right. I'd love to have a nice Canon digital w/changeable lens, but I have too many house expenses right now. Maybe in January.

9/11 brings memories to everyone. I couldn't watch much of it on TV, it was too disturbing - I think if I never see another picture of the planes going into the towers I would be happy. The thing I remember most is that the Poodle Parents were on a business trip and were supposed to return on Tuesday evening. Of course, they couldn't fly and couldn't find a car to rent, so they didn't return until Saturday. Meanwhile Corky continued to stayed with me, but I had a responsibility at the BCQG meeting on Thursday night, so I just took him with me! He was so good, he sat on a chair next to me or in his soft bed on the floor. I think it cheered everyone up a bit to have this happy fuzzy white poodle at the meeting. I've taken him three times since then and he is always a good dog. Admittedly, it isn't his favorite thing to do, but he tolerates it.

Palms at Los Alamitos Bay 09-10-08

I took Corky home to his parents late yesterday afternoon - he was so excited to see them and they were only gone for two nights! And, of course, I really miss him after he was only here for three nights. On my way home I stopped at Whole Foods which is in a small shopping center between Pacific Coast Highway and one of the Los Alamitos Bay parking lots. These palms grow along the edge of the parking lot and they looked so great against the pink/blue sky. I so seldom go to the beach anymore that I forget it isn't just sand and water, but lots of other things that make it so restful. Like palm trees.

I went to Whole Foods looking for goat's milk because while I was up north I heard that lactose intolerant people can drink it without ill effects. I did buy a quart and it doesn't taste much different from cow's milk, however the quart cost $3.69. So, I will stick to cow's milk that has been processed to remove (?) the lactose. Lactaid brand is available almost everywhere, but I'm trying a new brand discovered up north - Organic Valley brand has a lactose free milk that doesn't have the sweet taste of Lactaid. I'm so glad that this product exists, I'm not sure I could live without milk!

More On-The-Road 09-09-08

The drive south from San Juan Bautista on Hwy 101 goes through prime agricultural land - very little of the flat land is not farmed. But housing developments are stretching out from the small farming towns, taking up more valuable farmland.

On the right (the west side) are coastal

mountains, so this valley does not have abundant rain. Notice the rain birds - a horizontal light grey line across the lower third of the picture. Crops are mainly vegetables - lots of lettuce.

And on the left side is the Diablo Range. Beyond those mountains is the San Joaquin Valley where I-5 runs along the foothills and the great inland valley stretches out to the haze. Crops are nuts, soft fruit, grapes, citrus - lots of almonds are grown there.

Further south on 101 north of Paso Robles there is a lot of cattle land. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see wavy horizontal lines. Those are cattle trails! This area has been cattle range for over 300 years - the cattle find the easiest way to go and every other cow follows that trail, creating corrugations in the soil.

Hwy 101 is pretty much the track of the missionaries up from Mexico, all along are bells on sort of shepherds' crooks indicating it is the Royal Road (the translation from the Spanish 'El Camino Real') or the King's Road. These bells were sponsored by women's clubs throughout the state at the beginning of the 20Th Century. This one in San Luis Obispo looks good, I imagine it is one of the concrete replacement bells, but some are not maintained and are very rusty. http://www.cahighways.orelg/camino.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Camino_Real_(California)

Another historic spot in San Luis Obispo is the "Motel Inn". The word motel originated here in 1925 to indicate that this was a motor court AND a hotel. So, the privacy of your own cabin or room and the amenities of a hotel. The word was never copyrighted and soon became a noun used to indicate any similar establishment.
http://www.jeffreysward.com/tributes/motelinn.htm

I show my van in pictures now and then because of my license plates - a statement that I was there, I guess.

These are the only two buildings remaining and they are under rerenovation. Who is doing the repairs and what the future might hold is something I could not determine. San Luis Obispo is a great college town with lots of places to explore, book shops, restaurants, entertainments. But it isn't on the water and in the summer the temperatures soar.

As Hwy 101 heads into Santa Barbara the center divider is a concrete barrier on each side with pink oleanders down the middle. I'll have to drive up Hwy 99 sometime soon and see how the dense oleander bushes of every color are doing there.

Tale of another duckling rescue 09-07-08

On May 2, 2008, I reported on a duckling rescue I participated in here in Placentia. This evening I came across this story of someone else who has done service in duckling rescue efforts.
I thought you might also enjoy reading it.


http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/amazingduck.asp

A quiet Sunday 09-07-08

I suppose this was a rest-up-from-a-trip-Sunday, I sure didn't get much done. However, I did put away the suitcase and finish up one more load of laundry. Every now and then I will sit at my Pfaff and sew a few more quilting lines on a very small quilt. I think if I just keep doing that I will get hooked into finishing it. I went out on the patio this morning and found a surprise flower.

A few days before I left on my trip Liz gave me this bromeliad plant in its pot. I put it on the patio where it would get lots of light, but only limited direct sun. And I watered it the day I left.

Now I have this wonderful unexpected blossom - I didn't even see a bud before going. But it must have been there - right? Such an exotic and colorful flower, it almost calls for a quilt.

I picked up Corky, the Poodle Prince, yesterday because his parents are traveling. He had his teeth cleaned Thursday and wasn't very active Friday and Saturday, but seems to be more himself today. He has to be sedated for the procedure and I know from experience that the older one gets the longer it takes to rid the body of those chemicals. I expect that tomorrow, Monday, he will truly be his usual self. The vet says he must lose a half a pound, which is a lot when he weighs only 12 pounds, so we are cutting down his 'kibble' by a few teaspoons every morning and limiting his treats. At twelve he is still quite healthy and we would like to keep him that way.