Dog Days, to Aug 11, 2026

It's hot.  Dog Daze Hot.  This is to be expected in summer.  But that doesn't mean I have to like it!  Thank goodness the Dog Days end today ... sigh, just not the broiling heat.  Anything that needs doing outside should be done early, the earlier the better.  This month we've seen the weather service post heat advisories many days in a row.  Stay hydrated, they say, which we do.  Especially since we can't seem to "observe" the early morning caution, and I'm not sure why since we're up early.  Go figure.

Here you see Kane Springs Rest Area near Hole 'N the Rock, Utah (south of Moab).  I had quite a few unseen gorgeous red rock country photos from our New Mexico trip home a month ago, but too late to post 'em; we've moved on.  So, I picked just this one because I think it looks like it could be a movie set.

I can show you one more.  On the left is Flatbud Prickly Poppy along Hwy 50 in Nevada, and Desert Willow from the above rest area, at right.  New posies for me.

We've been busy since our return.  Yard work takes lots of time.  NorCal hasn't had measurable rainfall in a long time (two months?), so everything is dry dry dry.  Spring flower stalks had to be trimmed, a small Pacific Dogwood lost its life and had to be cut down, weed-eating, etc.  You know, yard stuff.

In between, we've trod our dusty Cascade Canal trail as often as possible (usually early) and we've been on our bikes locally several times.  Fun days with cards, dinners out with friends, a band concert in Pioneer Park, The Odyssey at our Onyx Theater (have you seen it?) Plus, the usual dentist and medical appointments.  

Meanwhile, on Sunday, July 19th, Matt and Evie, and Jimmy and I, attended the California State Fair at Sacramento's Cal Expo.  Sure, it was HOT, but the four of us had a grand time.  We rode a few rides (yeehaw!), visited a couple of exhibit halls, ate some gnarly fair food, walked our little feets off, and plain ol' sweat buckets.  Jimmy is standing on his tiptoes in the above pic, trying to gain height, but not enough to catch the three behind us on stilts! (How DO they do that?)

We took very few pictures and only these two survived.  Look at Evie!  She's at the age where smiling at the camera is boring, making faces is cool. 😉

All of us have the Nevada County Fair to look forward to this week, from Wednesday to Sunday!  We'll be there!  (Trust me, it'll be hot, sizzling hot, it always is for Fair week.)

Wishing for a change of pace, one (late!) morning Jimmy and I hiked the Independence Trail East, high above the Yuba River.  We put in four-and-a-half/five miles and one of us overheated (oops, me).  We won't do this trail again till winter!  Hard to see in the pic, but people are on the rocks and in the river.

Here we go again!  On the trail, my strongman, Jimmy,

holding up this huge boulder!  Good job!

First time I've seen this one -- California Sweetshrub in bloom.

Also along the trail.

Well, now, a bunch of time was spent on this -- it's a crappy subject, but Imma tell it anyway.  After 14 years of living in our house, we decided it might be time to pump out our septic tank.  "Everybody" said we should do it.  We scheduled Navo and Sons.  They arrived with their big (sh*t wagon) truck, below, top left.  They poked around the dirt, dug down and found the lid, top right pic (red x in the hole).  THEN it was determined the other lid was beneath the sidewalk! (red ? on sidewalk, same pic).

Jimmy and his friend, Cliff, tried to figure out a way to cut the cement themselves, but in the end (sorry), they said to call in a professional.  Days later (above), you see Mr Cement Man cutting the sidewalk, and in the picture next to that is a red x where we're guessing the second lid is.

We moved into our house in 2012 and in 2018 we had sidewalks poured all the way around the house.  Who knew the sidewalk was poured right over the septic tank lid?  Septic tanks have two compartments with two lids.  Both have to be pumped.  Don't poo-poo all this valuable information.

So, Navo and Sons returned, the guys aghast at having to lift two VERY HEAVY slabs of cement before searching for the second lid.  They were troupers, though.  Got 'er done.  Pumped the crap outa it, so to speak!  It took three fellas to replace the sidewalk slabs, and we'll eventually have to tweak them to get them set properly.  All done!  The three red x's show the sidewalk cuts in the last pic.  Whew.  We don't plan to ever do this again!

In between times, remember it's summer and that means picking and canning! Marlene and I canned 18 pints of peaches one morning and I canned 9 pints of plum jam/sauce on a different day (Jimmy helped). First time making fig jam today! (Figs from our friend, Laurie's, tree.) And, of course, tomato season is around the corner.

We're hoping ongoing road construction on Hwy 20 -- our gateway to the freeway -- and on I-80 itself is finished, as we'd love to take the bikes to the high country without major delays. We haven't been up to Truckee or Lake Tahoe in a long time!

Last week we received a brochure in the mail from OAT.  They'd really reduced prices on 2026 trips and one of them sang the siren song:  Chile & Argentina | Land Adventure | Overseas Adventure Travel.  We booked it for Oct 8th-26th and then threw in the (optional) Iguassu Falls post trip.  Our return home is Oct 30th.  Want to join us?

It's a wrap! To June 10th, 2026

 

Well, I'm home already from my visit to my sister in Maryland.  A week isn't very long when you're visiting someone you love, be they friend, spouse, child, parent or sibling.  In our case, Nannie is my only remaining sibling, and we are two peas in a pod, always have been.  Why, even the other day, someone in her town asked us if we were twins, a question we've been asked many times.  Yes, we are twins, tho I'm seven years older and she's three inches taller. 

We continued our Maryland EXplore, as Pooh would say, firstly to Ward Farm Recreation Area on Friday, the 6th, more new territory for us. And we walked our little feets off!

Ward Farm was a great find for us, a mere 15- or 20-minute drive from Nannie's house. This is both a working farm and a nature park with trails that wind through woods, to Muskrat Lake, a tiny creek and up on a ridge. We just "followed our noses" as we hiked, appreciating the entire experience. The sign above reads that the farm was established in 1654 ... can that be true? Wow.

Nannie on the bridge over the dinky creek.

We practically had the trails to ourselves.

We spied lots of little critters, as you see above.  A teensy green frog on a water lily leaf, and a painted turtle we nearly stepped on near the lake.  Blue dragonflies hovered and landed on leaves, and then on the trails we spotted what we initially thought was a spider.  Nope.  There'd been a hatching of frogs? toads? and they were all over the forest trails -- we had to dodge 'em repeatedly so as to not crush anybody.  Bottom right photo shows Nannie's fingers corralling one.  See it?  Look how small it is!

Beautifully green and serene.

These were neat.  Called Ebony Jewelwing, a type of dragonfly. 

Mountain Laurel flowers were just finishing up for the season.

One of the barns on the property.  While the day grew too warm to be Out and About in the sun, we really enjoyed our hike here.  We put many steps on the ol' fitbit.

After dinner we walked to the North Beach pier and boardwalk, a few blocks from Nannie's house.  The evening was too fine to stay indoors.  We were amazed to see a young man catch a Skate (a type of ray) from the pier.  Top left he was trying to bring it in.  The lower pics shows him hauling it up onto the deck and releasing the hook/lure.  Top right, he flung it back into the water.  Apparently they're not good for eating.

His name is Echo and he was savoring the Chesapeake Bay evening breeze, as were we.

* * * * *

On Monday, the 8th, Nannie drove us to Annapolis, approx 45 minutes north.  My main goal for going this year had to do with my stomach.  Last year we ate lunch at Chick & Ruth's Deli, and the sandwich was so good, I hoped to repeat it this year! 😄 Nannie obliged!

Our first stop was the Visitor Center.  We didn't ask for info this year; we just needed the loo.  Fantastic triptych in the lobby.

On the way to the waterfront, we paid a visit to St Anne's Episcopal Church, one of the oldest in the country, founded way back in 1692.  This is the third church on the grounds -- the first was built around 1700, the second church building burned down in a spectacular fire on Valentine’s Day evening, 1858, and services were held in this new church beginning in July 1859. It's a lovely structure. Above is the tracker organ installed in 1975. The church is part of the Colonial Annapolis Historic District, which is itself a National Historic Landmark district.

The Capitol building as seen through an alley.

We didn't go in, as we were there last year.

Aha!  Here it is.  It might contain a few calories and a lot of cholesterol, but we split the sandwich, each eating half so we only got half the calories and cholesterol!  Hah!  It was delicious all over again!

Still walking, we made our way to the harbor cruise boat, another redo from last year.  We like being on the water and this suits us to a "T."  The cruise was very refreshing.

I asked a young lady assistant to "take our picture," and you see what happened.  My sister accosted me!  More shenanigans!  She'd taken off her visor cap so she wouldn't lose it to the wind.  I held onto mine.  We sure do have a good time, whatever we're doing.

Petting the kitty.  Pretend.

A section of a fabulous mural.

We could see the golden dome of the Naval Academy Chapel on our travels today.  We asked if we'd be allowed on the academy grounds and the answer was yes, but we'd have to go through security.  Believe it or not, we were allowed in!  Our aim was to tour the chapel.  More new stuff!  (And we didn't get into trouble, except getting yelled at by a Navy guard [with a gun!] for trying to cross the street in the wrong spot! Scowling, she escorted us to "the proper crossing." Geez.)

Lucky us, the chapel was empty while we were there.  You see Nannie proceeding toward the altar (red checkmark, left.  We couldn't access the main aisle, the pews or the balcony.  This magnificent building was dedicated in 1908.  Two monumental stained-glass windows flank the altar.

The organ is controlled by one of the largest draw-knob consoles in the world (whatever that is) and I'm sure would make some mighty stentorious music. Hanging from the ceiling above the organ is a votive model of a 15th‑century Flemish carrack.   See below.

This model is part of the chapel’s decorative and symbolic elements, designed to remind visitors that God protects those in peril from the sea. The carrack, a type of medieval sailing ship, is a historical vessel that reflects the long maritime heritage of the U.S. Navy and the Naval Academy.  Thanks, Wiki.

On January 26, 1913, the remains of John Paul Jones were interred in the crypt beneath the chapel, inside a sarcophagus made of 21 "short tons" of black and white Italian marble with bronze fittings, very impressive.  John Paul Jones, often called the "Father of the American Navy," is celebrated for his naval victories during the American Revolutionary War.  This crypt does him proud.

Back outside, Nannie stands near the entry.

Stay there, I said.

And if you look closely, you will see she did, indeed, stay there (enlarge the pic).  What an amazing chapel.  What a day we had, and we were beat when we got home to North Beach.  Tuckered out, for sure, but happily so.

* * * * *

Early Tuesday morning, we headed for Baltimore's airport (BWI) for my journey home.  I had a nonstop flight this time to Sacramento (SMF or Smurf).  Good thing I had a book to finish, 'cause looking out my window was like peering through a long white tube sock!  Nuttin' to see here, honey!

Lastly, here's a picture of our completed 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.  We dumped it out of its tube on Wednesday evening, painstakingly righted each piece, rounding up the border pieces, and so on.  As the only pieces left on Sunday were white with green hints, we said phooey on it and quit here.

Ah, yes, we had fun, a terrific, albeit short, week.  So glad I came, as one week is better than no week at all!  See you in the fall, Nannie. 💕

Sisters together! to June 4, 2026

 

Air travel ain't what it used to be!  Expensive, cramped (even if you pay for extra room) and not much fun these days.  But I do enjoy looking down on puffy white clouds -- they're far more interesting seen from above than craning your neck looking up at them!  Like rounded piles of soapsuds, fragile and cushiony, these same clouds can create mighty bumpy conditions when the plane plows through them.  Anyhoot, Nannie picked me up in one piece at Baltimore's (BWI) airport Tuesday evening, and we'll commence a week's worth of fun, games, and happy memories!  Oh boy!

Wednesday was catch-up day, walking the North Beach boardwalk/pier, cooking Nannie's famous spinach quiche, and watching Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix that evening.  A sweet day for us.

It was decided to drive down to Point Lookout St Pk on Thursday -- where the Potomac River meets Chesapeake Bay, roughly 60 miles south of her house -- new territory for both of us.

The peninsula is surrounded by water, of course.

Photo of Lake Conoy.

Every lighthouse is different.  No need for this one to be TALL, just visible in this area with a long maritime history and many recorded shipwrecks.

Built in 1830, and expanded in 1883,

with the light raised to 41 ft above sea level.

In 1965 an automated light was built on a sandbar, dead center of the pic (enlarge to see it), and Point Lookout St Pk was established.  The lighthouse light was extinguished for the last time on Jan 11, 1966, and the Light Station was turned over to the US Navy.

The cost to get in the state park was three bucks and we could tour the grounds and lighthouse, including up into the "tower."  You just know we had to climb up there, crawling through that tiny opening.

Did it!  You see the opening at my feet.

It was hot inside; we didn't linger.

And back down!

We walked and walked and walked, including looking for sea glass and shells on the Chesapeake side of the grounds (Nannie found a piece).  The sun was hot and there was no shade to be had.

I was surprised to see Prickly Pear cacti here, in bloom, no less!

Not easy to see much detail, but if you enlarge the pic, maybe you can make sense of it.  In 1862, the grounds served as a port, hospital, garrison, and prisoner of war camp for the Union Army during the Civil War. Thousands of soldiers perished due to harsh conditions in the marshes and swamps of the peninsula.  We didn't tour the cemetery.

Civil war barracks, redoubts, etc.

This area offered shade, for which we were grateful, as the day was full-on heat.  Above and below, we walked the Civil War era grounds.  Now, hungry and our water bottles emptied, we headed for the park entrance and ranger station.

We refilled those water bottles and met the cutest, most personable Diamondback Terrapin, below.

No, he's not looking for food, he just wants to interact with people.  He followed our hands/fingers all around his tank.  He's been lovingly cared for by the rangers for over eight years.  His name is Seamus, and isn't he pretty?  Or I guess I should say handsome.  The beloved Diamondback Terrapin is Maryland's official state reptile.  Now, you, too, know. 

I like taking pics of these old barns in the area.  Nannie and I left the park, trying to find a picnic table in the shade where we could eat our lunch, but no go, so we ate in the car -- in the shade of a fine old tree.  We both enjoyed our excursion to the lighthouse and didn't get home till 4:30!  We have a tendency to go check out various side roads, also. 😊

Back at the house, here's a shot of one of North Beach's Osprey's atop a nest near the pier.  We hear the couple has two chicks in the nest, hallelujah!

Tomorrow we'll do something different.  Stay tuned.