ABOVE THE CLOUDS

 Two weeks ago when I went home to pack for a longer stay down at my sister's near the coast, we drove on rim highway and a lot of the times during this time of year we are above the clouds.  The day before I left to come back to my sister's house it was a beautiful day, cloudy below us and sunny above us.  I miss my drives on rim highway when I'm not in the mountains.  Also miss being home.  

Slow improvement is happening with my sister.  She is no where near coming home yet and still has to gain strength to walk independently and definitely has memory issues.  I can only pray all this will be resolved for her in time.  

It snowed in the mountains yesterday at a higher elevation than we are.  There is more snow coming  next week and I can say I'll be fine with not seeing snow this winter.  I can see photos on FB that I follow for mountain news but I'll be down here at the central coast with beautiful weather.

STOPPING IN TO DROP A PHOTO (IT'S RAINING RIGHT NOW)

 And just some info about what's going on.  A sister of mine had a stroke a few weeks back.  I've been up in Central California, helping to take care of things at her house.  She has finally been released to rehab for physical and occupational therapy and speech therapy.  Her husband has Alzheimers and can't be left alone.

  My husband I were up there for the last two weeks  but this weekend I needed to come home and pack for a more long term stay where I will be up there and he will be down here at the house.  Not sure how much time I will have to be on the net but hoping to update with some photos here and there.  

Hoping to get around to some blogs to see what's going on while I'm at home until I leave to go back on Monday.  I'll miss Fall in the mountains but then I don't think I'll miss the snow.  Instead if I'm required to be up there for a few months I'll have mild coastal temps and once in awhile a walk along the beach.  That will be a very different winter for me.

Hoping whoever reads this is enjoying fall in their area.  Not much going on here yet with colorful leaves.

HAVING TROUBLE GETTING TO SOME BLOGS

 A few of mine included.  When I try to go to them there is a page of code showing up instead of a photo.  Not sure when this will all get fixed.  Not even sure this blog will show up but I'm posting a memory I like.

We use to stop at this cafe when we would visit up in San Simeon (near Hearst Castle.)  Awhile back I heard it was closed down but didn't realize they were simply moving it to another place a few hundred feet away.  I found a video about it where they moved the whole building.   Evidently it was moved for safety reasons but I couldn't get to the article where they discussed why.  I don't have a subscription to that particular paper. 

I was only inside it once but has always loved the look of the outside when we drove by it. I got this photo several years ago.

Next to the restaurant was an area where these horses were.  The hills behind it are where Hearst Castle is. Hearst Corp., which owns Sebastian's Store and most of the rest of the land in Old San Simeon Village

My photos of the horses didn't turn out good.

A MEMORY

 I came across this photo from a visit to the central coast several years ago.  Some day I am determined to walk there again.  This was such a beautiful walk. 

Question - how many of you have cats?  And if you have cats do you leave them home alone when you are away for several days.  I've always thought that we needed to board our cat but now I'm thinking she can certainly be at home for a few days with plenty of food and water.  She sleeps most of the day.  

She is so filled with anxiety when we put her in a pet hotel.  She literally foams at the mouth when she realizes where she is going.  She wouldn't eat for two days and the pet hotel we use to take her to, Pet Smart, told us she wasn't a good fit for their hotel.  (she had been there five times in the past) .  We  made sure it was on her record that she wouldn't eat for two days.  However, the last time we took her was Thanksgiving of 2019.  She had only been at the hotel about 18 hours before we got a call early in the morning telling us that they had taken her to a vet because she refused to eat.  At that point we said we aren't paying any emergency vet bill because it was on her records she wouldn't eat for a few days. (We would usually leave her for four days).   We asked them what did the vet say - ..he diagnosed her with anxiety, lolol.  

Because we refused the vet bill that is when we were told she wasn't a good fit.

It finally dawned on me this morning that we could just leave her home.  

Any advice on that - ..?How long would you leave a cat alone?  She's always been an indoor cat.

A RECENT TRIP TO BIG BEAR LAKE AND ON TO BALDWIN LAKE

 We've gone up to Big Bear quite a few times this summer.  I was so happy last week when we were driving up there and it started to rain.  Big Bear really needs rain as the lake has shrunk quite a big and then Baldwin Lake, which  is more of a seasonal lake now, hasn't had hardly any water in it for several years.  

The first photos are driving through Big Bear where I only took a few photos out the front window as the rain started.  Can't believe how good it felt to feel rain drops and the temp cool down.

The rest of the photos are from Baldwin Lake which other than not having water in the lake - I find it beautiful out there.  Obviously if you live out there (about 20 minutes from Big  Bear Lake) you love wide open spaces for horse and dark skies with amazing views of the stars.  I grow more fond of Baldwin Lake area with each visit. 

A lot of places in California have been getting a lot of rain while others are getting no rain.  We haven't had rain, only monsoonal weather but higher up the mountain some roads have gotten washed out from the huge downpours.  It's been a long humid summer where we are.  

Wondering how your summer is going?

Baldwin Lake area

A MEMORY FROM A LONG TIME AGO - 2007

 

Found this memory on an old blog.  This is my grandson Cayden and youngest son John.  Because I always had my camera with me I could catch these sweet scenes that now are fun to see again.

Hey dad...

The bug was this big! Really daddy...it was gruesome really...it had fangs..

Did you see it Gramma. It really scared me a lot.

There now...that's what I wanted....

It was just an  ant but a little exaggeration gets me lots of love.

FROM ONE OF MY GRANDKIDS BLOGS I POST ON - I FOUND THIS POST FROM ABOUT 2009 .

 We babysat the grandkids a lot.  I always had my camera ready and always kept blogs for each one from baby age up to teens.  In the course of a day I would take photos and sometimes putting some of them together told a story.  Here's one of them.  

Mackenzie is very serious about her job.

"Cayden please come over and help. We need to get these weeds out of Gramma's garden."

Come on, help me now or I'll pick you up and toss you to the north pole.

"Wow, Kenzie you're stronger than I thought. I don't want to help, I'm playing with my dad right now."

"Daddy, help! Mac is brutal!"

Just another average day with the grandkids visiting.

FIRST LET ME SAY - .... WHAT'S WITH THE SPAM FOLDER AND MY BLOGGER FRIENDS MESSAGES GETTING PUT IN THERE

 I already mentioned on my art blog that I had just discovered a few days back that there is a spam folder and that it should be checked out every few days.  For some reason many of your comments on past posts, I just noticed,  went into spam.  Blogger is really challenging me lately - what with inability to comment at certain places and then putting actual real message in spam.  So just to say ...I went to the folder and read your comments from past posts - thanks so much and sorry I haven't responded to them.  

So, yesterday, I decided to head up to Green Valley Lake to spend some time in isolation with nature and wonderful breezes.  Imagine if you will, it's a Friday - a time in any area of summer that draws tourists, that for some reason I guess Green Valley Lake remains a hidden gem.  There were very few people there and from my experience going up on a weekend - that proves to be true pretty much all the time. 

My area where I live is so crowded with people all around the lake in summer that you can't even find parking to get out and enjoy a walk.  Some people even park half way up a curb on to the trail area.  

This is the calm and beauty (and perfect breezy temps) I experienced yesterday.  I was amazed to realize it had been almost 20 years (2003) since we had bought a cabin and only kept it for a few years before we sold it as I thought it was too boring up there.  Geez, what an idiot I was in my 50's.  Now I could totally live up there year around.  I don't care about shopping anymore, unless it's for necessities and this town only has about seven businesses.  

And it wasn't even a challenge to find parking.  I've posted many photos in the past from here but it's always a new experience when i go.

 

NOTHING MUCH GOING ON

 I don't have much to blog about right now but noticed recently that in July we still have such green trees up here and on the way up the mountain.  Down below, every time we go, the sky is filled with haze and towards the bottom of the mountains it starts looking really dry.  We have amazing fire response up here and luckily there have only been a few fires that have quickly been put out.  

I thought I would just share some photos of our drives going down and coming home. The bottom photo is how dry the mountains are closer to the bottom.  We definitely need rain and snow to fill up the lakes but the forest is really so healthy looking, which is good.

The Spanish Broom has had its' season and is now losing its' blooms.