California Living

Mark found this great little guest house through airbnb.com .  It's located in the historic California Heights neighborhood so several photos of this album show that area.  A few others show the man-made bay in Naples and (also man-made on a former bean farm), El Dorado Natural Park.  Such a terrific trip.  We now have a favorite place to stay when we can get to the coast!

https://picasaweb.google.com/115037493039149573213/LongBeach?authkey=Gv1sRgCP_m-4afq9XhPg&feat=email#slideshow/5924048386221588626

Family in California

Here's the link to a few of the many pics Mark took of the Fonte-gathering for Aunt Mollie's 100th birthday.  There are also photos, near the end of the album, of my cousin and his wife (Craig and Lynn Sjurset) with us at the Getty Villa.  Enjoy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/115037493039149573213/20130915?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKY77Hw2vbk9gE&feat=email#slideshow/5924043088705972226

Crest Ranch Little Free Library

A few months back I wrote about my unsuccessful attempt to host a Little Free Library in my front yard.  Although several neighbors appreciated the effort, someone complained to our HOA and so I was asked to remove it.  I did, but not without protest (anyone who knows me well, would know this to be consistent with my personality and passion).  Fortunately, I had supportive neighbors who joined me in convincing the Board that something they could support should be explored. 

So we formed a working group that met several times over the summer, enjoying mini-potlucks and expanding neighbor-to-neighbor relationship building.  Several of us took on specific tasks--one did the sign's design work, another wrote the sign text, a couple of us collected books and magazines, a husband built the bookcase and another toted it down to the community pool in his truck.  There were bumps along the way but we got it done.  Now the question will be how/if our other neighbors use the Little Free Library and support it with consistent donations.  Time will tell.  So, for those of you interested in the mostly-happy ending to this story, here are photos. 

P.S. If the LFL is supported, our HOA may consider a permanent, more artistic structure such as other neighborhoods have in Tucson and around the USA and the world.  At that point, our LFL may become "officially" registered, but for now, we have what we have...and I, for one, am glad for it!

 

Yours truly and another stalwart neighbor.

 

 

 

The Crest Ranch Little Free Library, circa September, 2013

 

Sentinel Peak Surprise

On Labor Day, Mark and I drove to Casino Del Sol to buy lawn tickets for the 9/12 CCR concert.  On the way back, we drove down Mission Road (I wanted to see the progress on the all-volunteer Mission Gardens efforts) and decided to take the "short but winding road" up Sentinel Peak (otherwise known as "A Mountain").  We haven't gone up there in years and it was a bit scary to take the one lane road up the south side where there are no safety barriers but a loooong drop down and a wide vista to distract a driver.

On the way up, we passed a group of guys gathered together on the side of the north side of the peak and, when we got to the top, besides the amazing view of Tucson looking north, we saw a fellow intently guiding his radio-controlled aircraft.  What a surprise!  I was absolutely enthralled and shouted to the guy "we should be paying you for admission to this terrific show in the sky."

You have to look closely into the clouds to see the plane, but it was moving fast so this was the best Mark could do with his phone camera.  I want to see more of this "sport-hobby" and am surprised that I find it so fascinating...but I do!

City View with the Catalina Mtns. in the background

 

You have to look hard into the center of the photo to find the plane, but it is there!

 

 

Here is the fellow flying his plane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning Glories

Three summers ago, a stray morning glory vine began to creep into our backyard.  I wasn't sure what it was a first--just a green vine that I welcomed to create a canopy in a space left by an oleander killed from Texas root rot.  The stumps of the oleander provided a natural trellis for the vine that, in August, began to bloom.  I learned that when the frost comes, the vine becomes a brown paper-crumply mess, but, I decided at the first year, to keep on tending it during the early summer months if it returned.  This year the vine spread beyond the back wall to the post on our porch.  Mark's photo, taken this morning after another night/early morning of light rain, shows the multiple blooms we are now enjoying at breakfast.  They don't bloom past 10 a.m. so it's a quick burst of color and I do so enjoy counting the flowers as I feed the birds.  I hope you enjoy them, too.

Keep Calm

It's been a bit of a slog this week since I came down with a respiratory virus and, besides the sneezing, stuffy nose and lingering cough, had absolutely no "zip" in my step or brain.  I notice that when I am not feeling up to par, one of the first things to go is my creativity; the second, is patience.  So I tend to just hunker down and watch t.v. and do the basics such as take care of Charlie A. Gray, water my outside plants and do laundry.

I did start reconnecting with friends toward the end of the week and found a bundle of three mini-journals I bought at B&N a few weeks ago.  I shared two with friends and kept one; all have the theme of bicycles on the covers.  While waiting for one to meet up with me yesterday, Mark took a photo of the journal cover I was giving to her.  As I began my day today, I decided its message is appropriate for me to keep in mind as I move through my day, week, life.  Maybe it will help you, too:).

Gray's Summer is Long

 I think, like us, Gray is getting tired of summer.  He is spending more "quality" time inside with us and seems content to be able to look outside rather than be outside.  We are keeping him inside at night now.  At his 2nd annual check-up, our vet advised we do so, after seeing a few scabs from bites and missing fur patches.  Apparently, he is a Beta-cat and "submits" during the cat fights rather than taking on the aggressor role.  Since he is so stoic, that didn't surprise us.  A street-survivor that came to us a year ago, we are learning his ways and adapting to cat-life.  I still miss the pounce and attentiveness of our dog, Lia, but Gray's patience and easy nature is a good presence for us right now.