Happy Birthday

Z turns 27 today!

I'm grateful for all the adventures

we've had together these

last 10 years.

I love you.

Yesterday

The sky grew grey &

the winds picked up

as the afternoon matured.

Like usual, I was at my laptop

attempting to complete my last

few assignments.

Z rushed in, earlier than I expected.

Are you really busy?

Well, I....

Get your camera & get in the car.

So we were off.

Z had been driving and seen the mountains

to the south were the recipients of

the most amazing light.

Sometimes you can't even tell that

mountains exist around this valley,

but yesterday they turned golden

& let everyone know about the snow

that lay at their peaks.

We headed south for awhile & then to the west,

not knowing exactly where we were going,

just racing against the fading light.

I told him to pull over.

As I knelt down to get a shot,

Z told me that the passing traffic

was slowing down,

turning to find what it was

I might be photographing.

Light...just light.

According to Z, the view of the mountains

he had hoped to share with me

was already gone by the time

we arrived, but I was still

floored by the beauty of where

light & dark meet.

As we drove home,

we were enveloped by the darkness &

the approaching rainstorm.

But turning back,

there was still a glimmer of setting sun.

This post is part of Outdoor Wednesday.

Giant Sequoias: Part 2

Continued from yesterday's post,

here are more photos of our day trip

to the mountains to hike among the

Giant sequoias.

To be in the presence of such ancient, majestic

life is awe-inspiring.

We can't wait to go back.

This post is linked to Outdoor Wednesday.

Giant Sequoias: Part 1

Right after I returned from NC,
Z was off to a conference.
So when he got back, we decided
to spend Friday (his day off)
exploring a little bit.

We headed east up through the canyon
mimicking all of the river's turns,
drove past Lake Isabella
into Kernville, where we found
a tiny Mexican restaurant.

Sufficiently nourished and armed with
a pamphlet of the area's hiking trails,
we decided on the Trail of 100 Giants
and set off in that direction.

We made a quick pit stop
at a general store for batteries.
The ranch wasn't far from the trail,
but the temperature
dropped nearly 20 degrees in
that final 15-20 minute ascent.

There was snow and ice on the ground,
the absolutely most fresh scent in the air,
and then, the giant sequoias...

I took so many photos that there will be two posts.

The pictures cannot do justice to these trees,

but I hope you enjoy them.

Soup

The weather has turned a bit colder here,

so I tried a new recipe from

the November issue of Cooking Light,

a creamy, spicy black bean soup.

I made a few changes, like canned beans

since I didn't have any dried,

an extra dash of cumin, some fresh-ground peppercorn,

and I swirled in a little parmesan before eating it.

I didn't use the eggs or cilantro garnish

(although I do like cilantro).

I also sopped it up with sourdough wheat bread

from Trader Joe's.

The taste is spot on, but next time I will

make it just a bit thicker.

Even so, this is a great soup for a chilly day!

Also, on my latest visit to Trader Joe's,

I was super excited to find that

Dark Chocolate-Covered

Peppermint Joe Joe's are back in stock

for the holidays....

Oh. My. Goodness. how I love those things.

Fall in NC

When I was in NC at the end of October

my study breaks

involved stretching my legs &

getting some Fall shots around my parents' house.

This post is linked to Outdoor Wednesday.

Babies!

I love babies, but

Z & Mr. Wilson are all

I can handle right now,

so here's a post of other people's babies,

from oldest to youngest.

First off, my awesome nephew, Mason.

I will still call him a baby here, but

he will soon be 2 years old...

WHAT?!?

How is that possible?!

Next, Kerri & I have been friends since

4th grade (which doesn't seem that

long ago in my brain),

but lo and behold, she had a baby!

He is a real sweetheart, feels sooo good to hold,

and is mesmerized by ceiling fans.

What'd you say, Mama??

And finally, my beautiful

sister-in-law is due on Valentine's Day

with the first baby girl grandchild!

I love all of these babies (and their parents)...

they are my favorite kids on the east coast!

Dog Days

Left coast dog.

East coast dogs.

Obviously the east coast dogs are a bit more active.

Our Mr. Wilson loves going for walks, but is

perfectly happy viewing passersby from our front window

& alerting us to the arrival of the mail.

Ball is not in his vocabulary.

The east coast canines, Shelby & Abby,

belong to my folks and my brother,

respectively.

They are BFFs and salivate

at the mere mention of the word 'ball'.

Lovely, crazypants dogs.