Out and About update -- to Saturday, 2/21

 

"Life is meant to be a beautiful adventure."  We agree.  So, we continue to be adventurous as best we can, or as we say, go Out and About.  Last Saturday, the 14th, we returned to Big Morongo Canyon Preserve (up the big hill) and chose to hike the Canyon trail like we did last year.  It was a stellar day for a 4.5-mile walkabout, and a lovely place to be.

The steep-sided canyon follows Big Morongo Creek from north to south.  Jimmy, above, is looking north, as we were making our way back toward the entrance.  I find it fascinating that the upstream end of the canyon originates in the Mojave Desert, while its downstream portion opens into the Colorado Desert.  Two different habitats, five miles apart, a morphing if you will.

We passed through the natural spring-fed desert oasis that makes this preserve one of the ten largest Cottonwood and Willow riparian habitats in California.  The trees, which are just beginning to leaf out, are magnificent!

Plenty of birds at the Nature Center feeders, including White-crowned Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinch and Mrs. Ladderback Woodpecker, and more.  The preserve is an internationally recognized birding site.

* * * * *

Yes, we're basking in the desert sunshine.  Wait, did I say sunshine?  The entire state of California was slammed with rain and snow on Monday 2/16, including here in Desert Hot Springs.  Other than a swim between rainshowers, Monday was a perfect inside reading day, while raindrops spotted the windshield. Most enjoyable.

* * * * *

Tuesday, the 17th, was clear, yay!  We finally made it to Indian Canyons, our first time, the world's largest California Fan Palm oasis.  We tried last year, but the trails were closed.  We've been looking forward to this!  

But first, look what Monday's weather system left!  Snow on Mt San Gorgonio and flanks!  It tops out at 11,503'.  This photo is from our giant RV windshield; what an amazing view early in the morning!

Indian Canyons.  Wow.  This has to be the prettiest of all the oases canyons we've been to.  It's 15 miles long, following Palm Canyon Creek, one of those now-you-see-it, now-you-don't streams.  We walked a mile along this fairly flat canyon floor -- it really is one of the great beauties in the west.

The trail eventually leads out into the open.

"Indian Canyons are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and are especially sacred to their people today.  They're historically important to scientists and nature lovers.  The Agua Caliente people have thrived here for thousands of years."  From their brochure.  Truly, see how easy it would be to fall in love with this setting?

Eventually we left that trail and started up the East Fork Loop trail, knowing we wouldn't go too far, it being strenuous and way too long.  But the views from higher up were fantastic.

I wanted to see the palms that were "up there,"

and Jimmy didn't, so I started up on my own.

And here's where I quit and turned around. 😊

Mt San Jacinto's clouds were filling in.

Opposite view of where I turned around.  If you enlarge the photo, you'll see two people sitting on a rock overlooking the vast scenery.  Far in the distance, dead center, is Palm Springs and the wind turbines.  Hushed and serene up here. 💖

I rejoined Jimmy and we began the trek to the visitor center on the "moderate" Victor Trail, which took us on the other side of those stately palm trees, an up and down trail full of wonders.  The yellow x is where I turned around in the two photos above this one.  Those palms way up there?  No path to them.  Oh well.

A couple of times along here we felt rain, drops that blew in from the rain/mist falling on San Jacinto, left.  That was kinda fun.  We were never threatened with a deluge, at least not then!  We're high above the palms, as you see.

Nice cactus photo.

And those clouds were turning dark.

We were in heaven hiking around here, scanning the hillsides, admiring the differing rock formations, flowers (oh yeah), and all the cactus, never mind that we'd have to get down to the canyon floor where the palms are and where those tiny people are, winding around and about the mountain we were on to get there.  What a joy that we can do this.  At the VC, we sat down at a picnic table and treated ourselves to a big ol' Gatorade and a small package of crackers.  Time to head for our RV home.

Whoa-ho-ho, good thing we left when we did!  Showers abound!

Eventually, it rained on us at the RV!

* * * * *

As I said, snow dumped on NorCal, and then on Wednesday reports from home started coming in.  They were not encouraging.  Trees are down all over Nevada City, power lines snapped, roads blocked and traffic snarled.  We have no power at our house, and according to a message from PG&E, power won't be restored till Tues, the 24th!  YIKES.  Well, nuts.  Heck fire.  Hope our roof is all right.  ** Sigh **

Well, there's nothing we can do about it from here in the desert.  No point in heading home since we couldn't even get in our driveway!  That's the hazard of traveling like we do.  You can't be home to take care of it when things go haywire.

Our month at Catalina RV resort and spa is over on March 3rd.  Maybe all that danged snow will be gone by then!

Our across-the-road friend, Fran, sent us this pic of our house.  They've lost trees on their property, but she said we haven't.  Well, that's some good news for us.  She and I both think we should move to a place without snow!

Life is meant to be a beautiful adventure, indeed!

Nannie comes to town! Nov-Dec 2025

The days are foreshortened this time of year, sunset comes early.  Maybe that's why the two weeks Nannie was here flew by so fast.  Or perhaps it's because we packed in as much as we could.  We were very lucky with the weather, none of those 95° afternoons or a foot of snow or atmospheric rivers of rain of years past, nope, we enjoyed sunshine and cool temps every day!  Perfect for playing in these abbreviated late-autumn days.  Two weeks of fun!

She flew in (from her home in Maryland) two days before Thanksgiving -- great timing.  Son, Matt, and granddaughter, Evie, arrived on Wednesday for an overnight visit, meaning he'd have an early start for prepping "da bird" on Thanksgiving.  (Daughter-in-law, Jen had to work [she's a nurse].)  Nannie, Evie and I had a ball on the swing set.

Naturally, Matt brought Lucy, seen above with him and his aunt, Nannie.  You might notice that we're not a formal family 😄, ours is a wacky, fun-loving family.

I took lots of photos, so some were corralled in collages.  The one picture I took of the five of us at our festive table was the only Thanksgiving disaster.  Instead, at top is my plate FULL of our delicious dinner.  Matt "spatchcocked" the turkey, bottom left, and stuck it on the grill -- turned out yummy.  He also made his signature green beans, and a corn-y cornbread casserole.  Nannie made a pecan pie.  Yessiree, we ate well!  I don't know who the skinny guy is, bottom right.  Nannie arrived in time for the last of our beautiful Dogwood tree color.

Evie and Nannie spent time coloring turkey pictures before we ate.

Everyone had a great time Wednesday/Thursday; the youngsters went home Thursday evening. I think we were all pretty tired, especially us older folks. Friday Nannie, Jimmy and I did a bit of shopping and sightseeing in iconic downtown Grass Valley, which was all dressed up for Christmas.  

Saturday the three of us checked out a Craft Faire at the fairgrounds, followed by a cool visit to Mt. St. Mary's Convent and Academy, also in Grass Valley, and its historic museum, with exhibits on local history, especially women's roles, and featuring artifacts from its past as an orphanage and convent.  Built in 1865, it's the oldest standing convent building in the US west of the Rockies, and it was placed on the Nat'l Register of Historical Places in 1974.  We'd not been in the museum before, it was really interesting.

Nannie (upper) and me (lower) at the main entrance.

The oranges and reds of autumn provide color, and these roses prove it.

This scene is on the lovely church/museum grounds.

One day we drove up-the-hill to Truckee with the intent of going for a walk/hike, stopping first at the Donner Memorial St Pk visitor center and Pioneer Monument.  But at 6000', the 37° temp was bone-chilling, and we didn't last long outside.  At left, above, we're standing next to some tall critter at Layton Park by Lake Tahoe.  At right, Nannie poses with the Snow Sheds as a backdrop, plus a dusting of snow on Donner Peak.

Me 'n Jimmy at the Monument.

We enjoyed lunch at Jax @ the Trax in Truckee, a diner with good food, then walked across the tracks to the Truckee train depot where a kind stranger took our pic, above.  Best of all, we watched an Amtrak train pull into the station, drop off a few people and pick up around the same number.  That took roughly three minutes, then it blasted off, down-down-down the mountains toward Reno.

In between gadding about, we played cards (Hand 'n Foot), met friends for coffee, bought veggies at our Saturday farmers market, picked up a couple of books at the library book sale, attended a (very bad) community concert, went on walks, and tried to beat each other at Scrabble many nights ... and more.  We had such a good time -- I wish she could've stay longer ....

And we sat with Santa (at the fairgrounds)!

* * * * *

Here in the foothills, we've basked in above-average temps and daily sunshine, while the central valley has been bedeviled by weeks of tule fog -- chill, damp, and depressing.  We hoped the fog would've lifted one early afternoon when we drove down to the Woodruff rice towers and Gray Lodge to view the birds, but we were skunked on this one.  Not much action and not many birds, and the damp cold hurt; thus, no hiking.  Instead, we did the auto tour.  The Snow Geese, above, stand as statues.

In November 2019, Jimmy and I encountered so much birdlife

it literally made my head spin.  Not so much today.

Cormorants.

Can you count how many?

Top left looks like a juvenile Snow Goose, and top right features a "wake" of turkey buzzards, bottom left is a ginormous rose bush covered in elongated rose hips.  Bottom right:  Blackbirds disguising themselves as leaves. 

Even with a cold wind and a dismal sky, we enjoyed our outing.

Double your pleasure!

Haha, every time I see this picture, I laugh.  You should see the outtakes, hahaha! On Saturday, the 6th, we drove to Matt's (new) house in Fair Oaks (approx an hour away) where this pic was taken, spending several hours visiting, talking, laughing, and playing silly games with Evie.  (We missed Jen again, but she was working.)  Oh my, if I could grant the world one wish, it would be to have as much joy and love and fun as we do!

Finally, on Dec 7th, Nevada City held its first Victorian Christmas of the season.  We go every year, and Nannie comes with us when she's in town, it's "the thing to do," and we usually end up buying something we need (or a present), so it's a win-win.  This year was no exception.  After a few hours on our feet, we were ready to go home.

Like I said, the two weeks disappeared in a flash, but we're soooo grateful we had them!  Jimmy and I drove Nannie to SMF (Smurf) on Tuesday the 9th.  We miss her lots, but we know she's enjoying time with her own family in her new Maryland home (which makes US happy).  Now we'll play catch-up for the looming holiday.  I know, Nannie, I know, it's our turn next!

First Leg: Nannie's till 9/13/25

 

Easy peasy is how I'd describe this.  On Tuesday, the 9th, our Southwest flight from Sac to Baltimore was on time and smooth, and Nannie was at the airport to pick us up.  Jimmy and I have three solid days to spend in North Beach, Maryland, with my sister.  Oh boy, we three always have a good time!

Although the initial forecast was for fine weather, we awoke to showers Wednesday morning.  No matter.  We visited and futzed around, with Nannie showing Jimmy around her house and yard.  When the rain quit, we donned light jackets and set out on foot for the pier and boardwalk.  Our first stop was Sunrise Garden (park), and the koi pond, above.  We didn't tarry, light drizzle chased us home.

Next up we drove to the Railway Museum that she and I visited in May, but we managed to get there at lunchtime and it was closed. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.  Meanwhile, we had a short conversation with the conductor, above.

Condos on the Chesapeake.

The sun was shining as we walked along the boardwalk behind the Rod 'n Reel Resort, yonder Bay mirroring the color of the sky.  We checked out the herons, and tiny jellyfish swimming on the incoming tide.

And a nice lady volunteered to take our photo.

Purty flowers at the band pavilion.

Who is this guy?

Nannie, what ARE you doing?

Thursday we walked to the Nature Center and Overlook Park.  What a gorgeous day, too!  Albeit warm and humid, we could see/feel a taste of autumn in the air.

Loved seeing butterflies, the Common Buckeye and Monarchs!  Look, we found a little box turtle, and we spied a number of crabs in the shallow water.  Yum yum!

After dinner on Wednesday night we drove the short distance to visit Nannie's grandson, Joe, and his family:  Wife, Catherine, six-year-old Amelia and twelve-year-old Henry.  The next set of nonsense pics began when Amelia broached Pop-pop Jimmy about "where his hair went."  He came back with dialog that had the rest of us in stitches.  Then Amelia came out with "the wig."  If laughter is good for the soul, ours are in tip-top condition -- take a look:

"Miss Sassy-pants,"

who started the whole thing. 

That is a dog next to Jimmy, not a horse!

We laughed ourselves silly along about here.

Lookin' good, Nannie!

(with Amelia and Archie)

Next came Henry, sashaying out with the wig on!

And, finally, Catherine, donned the wig.

OMG, we laughed till our sides split.

We left their house, still snickering, and returned to Nannie's.  We'd had such a full, fun day, we didn't stay up too long.  Giggles erupted even when my head hit the pillow.

Friday was a quiet sort of day.  We knew we wanted to walk the railway boardwalk and we hoped to see the museum, both of which we achieved, although, as usual, it was mighty warm by the time we got out of the house.  This is such a nice town, very walkable, with boardwalks, nature reserves and walkways, just right for those of us who enjoy the outdoors.

Gulls congregated and wheeled overhead in ever-widening circles, and we couldn't figure out why.  As you see, the boardwalk wasn't crowded.  Lots of little fishies below us, a few crabs and jellyfish; otherwise, all was calm in the noonday sun.

We were fortunate to see Baldy flying above us, actually two of them.  I pointed and clicked the camera shutter numerous times (couldn't see it in the bright sun), and managed to get the pic above.  Zoomed in a lot, but there it is:  A Bald Eagle!

Visors suck sometimes.

The old train station, now the Railway Museum, erected in 1898-1899, was inducted onto the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1980.  It's considered a "significant example of rural railroad architecture and a testament to the area's transportation and commercial history."  It's full of neat things to see and read about, as well as an interesting short movie.  A bite to eat at CBQ next door filled us up and then, home.  So ended our day, Out and About.

Joe and Catherine and the kids brought fresh-caught Chesapeake Bay crabs for dinner Friday evening, which we ate at the table outside (delicious, but very messy).  I wanted to get a group photo of all of us to end this post, but, par for the course, I forgot.  Darn it.

Wonderful, short visit, Nannie.  Much love to you.  Tomorrow, Saturday, the 13th, she will drop us off at Dulles Internat'l Airport for our long, nonstop flight to Istanbul.  See you on the other side of the world.