Hey, welcome! Wed, 3/23/22

 

Jimmy and I are happy that the States of California and Oregon are next door to each other, mostly within a day's drive. Both have gorgeous coastlines and good people! We're fortunate to have friends who live in Oregon and who are willing to come see us and our quaint town -- new friends made through our overseas travels and our blogs. As they come here, so we go visit them. Win-win. We've become pals!

When Sheila, who lives in Bend, Oregon, wrote to say she'd be in town for a few days and would love to get together, we were delighted.  This was a postponed trip from two years ago when COVID canceled everything.  We were due for a visit (last time we saw her was in Switzerland in 2019).  She was traveling with her hiking buddy, Leslie, and they'd be staying in a B&B near downtown Nevada City.  We arranged to meet for dinner at Lefty's Grill on Sunday evening -- great food and conversation.  The four of us decided to leave a day open for hiking ...

... agreeing to meet on Wednesday at nine in the morning.  Yet, I tell you, by afternoon we wished we'd had an earlier start!  Nevada City has had some warm weather, but we'd been in record-breaking territory for a couple of days, and it looked as though today would be the capper on heat.  Nobody likes hiking in the heat.  We did all right, but I think everyone was done in by the time we headed home.

Above you see me, Leslie, and Sheila in front of the covered bridge at South Yuba River St Pk.  Jimmy and I hike these trails a few times a year and are always ready to come here.  Besides, spring is wildflower time at this park, and the women were eager to see what was blooming.  We were in for a treat today!  This day we'd hike both the Point Defiance and Buttermilk Bend trails, roughly six miles.

But first was fish -- a whole school of fish in the So Yuba River.

Big fish.  Trout? 

It wasn't long before we spotted bloomers.  I think we were all amazed at seeing wildflowers we'd not seen before, or at least not on these trails.  L-R, Globe lily, Twining snake lily, and Sierra fawn lily.

Whoa, then there was this guy -- Western Fence Lizard.

Four pairs of eyes is much better than two.  One of us was looking either up or down all the time, luckily, and Leslie spied this Bald Eagle at the confluence.  Never saw a baldy in this park before (zoomed in).

The Yuba before the confluence appears placid and richly colored.

And the flowers just kept on coming!  Top L-R:  Dutchmans Pipe; Bowl-tube Iris -- lots of Iris.  Bottom L-R:  Foothill Shooting Star, California Saxifrage; and Zig-Zag Larkspur.

Leslie leads as we return to the Point Defiance trailhead down the green-green-green switchbacks.  The oaks had leafed out and we appreciated the shade (any shade!).  Leslie was followed by Sheila and Jimmy.  My Jimmy is such a good sport. 💗

Yikes, I almost stepped on this fella!  I think it's a Gopher snake.  First time we've seen a snake next to the river.  It turned tail when it saw Jimmy's foot.  We spotted this guy on our way to eat our packed lunches on the other side of the river, between the two trails.

The beautiful aqua-blue South Yuba River,

decorated with masses of flowers on its banks.

Look at all the Narrow-leaf Lupines,

beauteous blooms!

I couldn't include all the photos of flowers, but here are a few more.  It was a stellar wildflower hike.  Top L-R:  Canyon Dudlea (fixin' to bloom); Pretty Face.  Bottom L-R:  Chinese Houses; Woodland Star.  Correct me if I'm wrong on idenification.

Tufted Poppies!  A gazillion of them.  How could anyone feel ill-humored around so much cheery color?  Poppies and Lupines, what a combination!  Purple and gold, Nannie!

Walkin' the Buttermilk Bend.  Wishing for shade.  When we reached the end of the trail, we zipped down to the river.  Sheila and Leslie took off their lightweight over-shirts, dunked them till they were soaked, wrung 'em out a bit and then put 'em back on ... to cool off.  I plucked a bandana from my pack and did likewise, draping it over my head and neck.  The temp was 84°-85° (in March!), and the spring sun was hot and bright.  At trail's end, one mile later, our wet cotton was dry.

Yes, the water level is low for this favorite river.  Weather prognosticators offer little hope for needed rain/snow this late in the rainy season.  But we can hope, anyway.

Sheila came to eat with us Wednesday night.  (Leslie didn't make it.)  We ate (hot dogs!) and talked, and it was nice to sit (really nice to sit) and plan more trips!  By gum, we did, too!  Sheila and Leslie pulled out the next morning, Oregon-bound, after what I can only assume was a good night's sleep!  I know Jimmy and I were dead to the world early and didn't know a thing till eight the next morning.  Thanks for coming, you two!  We enjoyed your visit.

Plus, early next month we'll get to spend time with another fellow traveler.  Aren't we the lucky ones?

Party Time! Feb-Mar 2022

 

We haven't been lounging on the sofa for the past month-plus.  Nope, we've been partying and working and hiking and ... well, living!  We have been busy.  Outdoors, it's nothing short of miraculous seeing spring emerge from winter's grip here in Nevada City, almost imperceptible at first and then, bang! flowers and birds and everything in sight kicks!

A kitchen remodel is what's been going on at our house.  Jimmy and I moved into the house nearly ten years ago and it was time for a change.  We got one bid that we deemed high (but it probably wasn't) and when son, Matt, said he could do it for less than half the bid price, we gave him an enthusiastic yes!  He's a realtor and he's been "flipping" homes for a while -- you know, he turns neglected homes into very nice ones.  So he knew how to take care of our kitchen remodel.  I'll post before/after pictures when we finish painting -- we haven't started yet.  Finding the right color isn't easy!

Speaking of Matt, he turned 42 years old on Feb 28th.  I can hardly believe it myself, but it's true.  Seemed like a few years ago he was 20!  Jimmy and I took him a small cake and we all sang happy birthday ... t'was a very low-key kind of celebration.

Then, on March 15th, Evie had her big day.  The family had a party for her the following Saturday in Roseville at her other grandparents' place.  How can she be five already?  Time is zipping by faster and faster, yikes!  I tell you, though, she was "up" for her birthday!  The theme was unicorns and they were everywhere!

When she saw the presents on the table, she said, "I bet everybody wants me to open presents first!"  That worked!  She seemed happy with her birthday loot.

Burgers on the grill for dinner came before festive cupcakes and the official singing.  We'd never seen a candle like the one on fire above, and Evie certainly was entranced.  Hard to describe it, but the birthday song played as it revolved, with all its candles lit.  Next, a sparkler on her cupcake lit and when that thing fired up, she reared back like it would bite.  Not to worry -- when the singing began, the joy on her pretty face was beautiful.

This was fun.  A unicorn piñata hung from the eave.

She went after the piñata with everything she had, but she couldn't break it open.  Eventually the thing fell from the eave and she had to stomp on it to crack it wide.  Her dad helped out some.  

And then candy spilled onto the patio,

and she offered each of us a piece of her choice!

Haha, this made her laugh.  Gramma wearing her birthday hat like a unicorn!  "But, Gramma, unicorns have horns on their heads, not their noses.  You're a piggie!"  So I made piggie snorting noises, which sent her into gales of laughter.

The party was a great success.  Everyone had a good time, especially this sweet little girl.  She'll be five for another 365 days before launching up to the next level:  SIX.

One of our Oregon Grape plants sent out a plenitude of flowers this year.  Bees were appreciative.  Can you spot one, above?

A pair of White-breasted Nuthatches took up residence in the pink house, above.  We can watch them from our kitchen window as they fly into their box with nesting material.  They're creepers, scampering up and down the tree trunk, half the time upside down.  I think they're cute.

A family of Lesser Goldfinches work on emptying the above bird feeder in the back yard.  While I sat on the deck one afternoon, I saw a white butterfly flutter around and near him for quite a while, almost as though it wanted to whisper a secret ....

Somewhere during the month, I drove to Fair Oaks to spend the afternoon with Evie.  She and I walked down to the American River, which isn't too far, maybe a quarter mile.  So much to see along the way!  We took a couple of bread heels to feed the ducks.  As you see, she attracted a crowd.  Geese, ducks and gulls.  She'd picked up a stick so she could "go fishing."  She's holding the stick in one hand, above, and bread in the other.

And here she is, fishing.  I also had a stick (no line).

But neither of us caught a fish. 😉

This post catches us up on our goings-on.  Friends have come and gone, and we've enjoyed coffee as well as dinners out with friends.  I have so many kitchen pics, showing how it evolved from old to new, and I hope to get them to you soon.  Meanwhile, Spring is Busting Out all Over!