Clouds and Sun

We're expecting some iffy weather today and tomorrow, which is always a bummer. However, the clouds can make for some really pretty sunrises! This morning, when I saw the sun bursting over the clouds, I just knew it would be my picture for the day.  The picture hardly does it justice!

The Upside of Raindrops

Who says it never rains in California? This morning we woke up to find that it had, in fact, rained overnight (unexpectedly, no less, as it wasn't supposed to do any of the wet stuff until later today). It's been a misty, gray morning so far, but the upside is that I was able to take some pretty shots of raindrops on our azaleas. They came out well, but left me really lusting after a macro lens. LOL!

Pride of Madeira (Echium)

I love taking pictures of a flower and then actually being able to find out what they are! These grow all over the place around here, and are abundant on the trail that we walk down by the beach. They're quite spectacular to look at, and the plants are rather tall. Their color, though, really makes them stand out against all the green in the background. Beautiful!

A Most Pleasant Surprise

On Friday afternoon, Jim IM'd me and told me that he'd have a surprise for Erin when he got home. I asked what it was, but he wouldn't tell me, because he said it would also be for me. Hmmm... Intriguing! A few hours later, Jim walked through the door, told both of us to close our eyes, and then presented each of us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers... for no reason at all! They are fantastically colorful, and look wonderful on the kitchen table. It was so sweet of him!

For the Love of the Game

Another Saturday, another soccer game. And another chance for Erin to have a great time on the field. She played both goalie and defense today, and never stopped smiling through the entire game. She saved quite a few goals in both positions (and once again, the only goal scored by the other team was during the quarter she sat out), got the ball out of the danger zone numerous times, and proved again why I call her Erin the Defender. You can just tell by the smile on her face during the end-of-game tunnel that this is something she genuinely enjoys. As it should be!

You Can't See Me Here

I had been planning on going out and taking some more flower pictures today, but unexpectedly had a sick child at home, so that derailed those plans. Mia was kind enough to provide me with an opportunity for a cute POTD, though, when she decided to "hide" in Erin's overturned laundry basket. I really think she thought she couldn't be seen, and she seemed surprised to find me staring at her with the camera (yet again).

Trouble on Four Feet

Mia has definitely developed a most un-feline-like habit of begging for food. It starts in the morning when she stares Jim down for her share of his oatmeal. It continues each time I walk into the kitchen, when both she and Molly follow me in hopes of getting treats. At dinner, she takes a stand beside Molly by the table, hoping that something will get dropped and waiting to get a chance to lick off the plates when we're done.  (OK, that might gross out some non-pet people. Sorry.) But when I make tuna salad for lunch, all bets are off. She comes a-runnin' as soon as she knows I've pulled the can out of the pantry. If I turn my back mid-preparation, she's a quick little thing and can be eating my lunch before I've had a chance to taste it. Good thing she's cute.

A Walk in the Park

My posse's morning walk today took us through two of our regional parks. It's a wonderful hour-long walk around a lake, and the weather was simply wonderful. One the most picturesque sites along the way is the couple of bridges that cross the creek beds. They're just so pretty to look at! This is the first time I've had my camera with me on the park walk, and I figured it would make a great POTD. What do you think?

Mystery Solved!

Today, I have to give many thanks to my friend and neighbor, Maggie. Not just because she's a great friend (although she is!). Today, I give thanks/props/snaps to Maggie for solving the mystery of the orange flowers for me! On our beach walk this morning, I mentioned that I'd noticed that she has some of the same flowers in her hard, and asked if she remembered what they're called, and she said that they're Kaffir Lilies.  (I'll also send  thanks to Marsha who tried to send me a message to identify the Kaffir Lilies, but her email got lost in cyberspace.) Yeah! One horticultural mystery solved. Once my mom gets here next week (another big YEAH!), I'm sure a lot of the others will be solved as well.  So in honor of Maggie, here's a picture of her Kaffir Lilies! 

Low Tide

On my morning walk down at the beach today with my friends, we were surprised to see just how low the tide was. We've been at the same place at around the same time for weeks now, and have never seen it this low! Usually these rocks are completely covered with water and the waves crash over them as they come in. Not this morning. We got a great view of the moss growing on them, and the waves were tiny.

More Signs of Spring

It's been kind of a gray, overcast day here, which lent itself to a stay-at-home-day. That's fine, but it means that I had to find my POTD in my yard.  Not too difficult, as we have more flowers that are starting to bloom up and show themselves, including these, right next to our driveway!

And in keeping with this week's 2Peas challenge theme of "Cloudy with a chance of...," here's the view that we woke to this morning:

That white line halfway down the pictures that you can see through the trees was the layer of fog that had settled in the valley below our house this morning. Jim actually snapped this picture for me - by the time I'd come downstairs it had lifted. We do see some incredible flog roll in around here, but this is the first time we've been able to capture it in a picture. Great job, Jim!!!  :)

Luscious... Lilies (?)

We did a little spring cleaning in the back yard today, mostly to dispose of the corpses from last summer that were still in their pots. As I was finishing up, I noticed that these orange creations are just starting to bloom again!  If I remember correctly from last year (but let's face it, the memory's the first thing to go), these are a kind of lily. Once open, they are really beautiful. Small and almost dainty, but bursting with orange and yellow. I can't wait until they open more so I can hopefully get better pictures of them!

Tradition

Tonight, Erin and I attended a Girl Scout Shabbat in honor of the anniversary of the founding of Girl Scouts (98 years ago this week). It was hosted by the local temple that our troop leader attends. I haven't been to services in, well, a really really long time, and Erin has only been to them once (and was seriously bored at the time). Erin was excited about going tonight, though, and in honor of the occasion, wanted to wear the Star of David that my mother had bought her a while back. She was very proud of it, and said that by wearing it, everyone would know that she was Jewish. It was really cute seeing all of the Girl Scouts in the sanctuary, and the rabbi (who used to be a Girl Scout herself!) was very welcoming to them. On the way home, Erin said that even though she didn't understand a lot of what was said, she really enjoyed the services. I guess that's all that really matters!

Color Me This

A few times a year, I volunteer in Erin's class for their art program called Art Masters. In these classes, the students learn about a specific artist and their techniques, and then try their hand and using those techniques to create their own work. They use different mediums including chalks, pastels, and pencils, and it's always fun to see how the kids translate the masters' work into their own. Today's artist was René Magritte, and using chalks and pencils, the kids came up with all kinds of interesting items to have floating in their skies.  This is such a fantastic program... I'm really hoping the schools can keep it going in the years to come!

Wildflowers

A sure sign of spring is the wildflowers that have sprung up on the hillside near Erin's school.  I've seen them for a while now, but just today stopped to take some pictures of them. From a distance, I was sure they were all pansies - and some of them are. But when I got close, I found these beauties. I have no idea what they are (cue the horticulturists!), but they're really lovely. The hill looks so pretty covered in yellow and orange flowers. I wish they stayed there all year!

Good Morning

One of the hardest things about the time change in the spring is getting up before the sun rises. It definitely takes a few days to get used to how dark it is in the mornings. However, the upside to all that is many mornings we are treated to spectacular sunrises which we can see perfectly from the back of our house. This morning was one not to be missed. The sky was painted in big strokes of blue, pink, and yellow, promising a great day ahead.

The treats continued on our walk to school as Erin and I saw a spray of clouds across the sky that I just had to capture. (I was so glad I'd decided to bring my little camera this morning!)

Yes, it was a good morning, indeed!

Snackage

When Erin gets home from school, she's usually ravenous and in search of something to fill her belly. I can usually get her to eat something relatively healthy (an apple or banana, or sometimes a string cheese stick and juice), but once in a while, I like to let her just pick. Today was one of those days, and (shocker) she chose to make herself some popcorn and top it with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. I guess there are worse things to munch on in the afternoon!

Venice Beach

Today was a gorgeous (and I mean gorgeous!) day here, and we decided to head up to Venice Beach to walk away the afternoon.  We'd never been there before, but I'd heard it could be a, well, interesting place. It sure lived up to our expectations! We saw Muscle Beach, public graffiti walls, some very impressive skateboarders,and enough medical marijuana "clinics" to make your head spin. But we also got to see some really incredible artists' wares, got in some fantastic people-watching, and just really enjoyed an afternoon in the sunshine.

And then there was this guy.

First of all, I can only imagine how quickly I'd end up in a body cast if I even attempted to do something like this. But who came up with this idea? "Hmmm... Let's take an enormous hula hoop and spin around in it like a human top!" Uh, no.

Erin the Defender

Today was week two of the spring soccer season, and we were all glad that the weather was better than it was for last week's game (cold, windy, and rainy - ugh!). The girls were all excited to get out there and play, and it was a great game. Erin spent two quarters on defense (her favorite position) and one on goalie (which she's getting to like more), and sat out for the 4th quarter. She played great, and reminded me again why I gave her the nickname Erin the Defender last season... She just gets in the thick of things to get the ball away from the goal, and takes nothing from nobody!

Purple Passion

It's "Name That Flower - The Friday Edition!" These purple beauties grow in our backyard, and range from almost white to a beautiful light purple shade, and the yellow in their centers add a splash of contrasting color. They're so pretty and cheerful to look at! (And I bet a bunch of you know what they are!)

Grab-A-Byte

No great photographic masterpiece today, but a cute snapshot of a really cute kid! Tonight was Erin's schools "Grab-A-Byte FUN-raiser" at Ruby's Diner. Who can say no to Ruby's, especially when the proceeds from the even go towards buying the school new technology! We got there right when it all started, and it was a good thing, too, because the place filled up very fast with Moulton families and teachers. Erin was thrilled to see all of her favorite teachers there, and we had a great time!

Paradise Found

Another flower "borrowed" from my neighbor. At least I know what this one is. LOL! I really love Birds of Paradise. To me, they are just so exotic looking, although I've seen them in all kinds of climates. But to me, they remind me of warm summer days, which hopefully aren't too far around the corner!

R is for Red

Another flower picture today.  There are so many beautiful plants flowering now, it's hard to pass them by without itching to take a picture of them. Once in a while, I give in to that itch. This one is "borrowed" from my neighbor's front yard. Pretty soon, the entire plant will be covered with these blooms, so don't be surprised if you see one like it again! 

No Shame

This cat of ours... I don't know what to say about her. She's a really sweet little puss, but she has developed some very un-catlike behaviors lately. She seems to have learned from the dog that begging for food can be a productive way to supplement her daily food intake. For example, when I'm washing the dishes, she will stand up and claw at my upper leg to get my attention, because she knows her treats are kept by the sink. But the funniest example is what she does with Jim each morning when he has oatmeal. Molly's always benefited from Jim's breakfast by being allowed to lick out the bowl when he's done. For the past few months, though, Mia's right there each morning too, usually sitting or laying in the table, watching intently as each spoonful is consumed. When Jim's done, he scrapes the rest onto the spoon, and puts the bowl on the floor for Glutton #1. Then Mia (a.k.a. Glutton #2) gets to lick the spoon. Does she not realize that this behavior would be laughed at by her fellow felines?

 

 

Dear Diary

Writing in a journal is a kind of right of passage for girls, I think. We all start doing it at some point, and most of us keep writing, at least sporadically, while we're growing up.  I've tried to encourage Erin to do the same, because I remember how much I enjoyed it when I was her age. A journal is a place to pour out your heart, express your feelings, and tell about your life in your own words that nobody can criticize. Today we bought Erin a new journal book, as she's been inspired to take it up again thanks to a Girl Scouts badge she's started working on. Someday, hopefully, she'll revisit these days in her journal and realize what a wonderful life she's leading!

Gee! Geraniums!

I know, I know. Another flower picture. But today, it was either this or a picture of Jim on a skateboard. (OK, so that could have been amusing...) We have geraniums in three planters in front of our house. One of them has finally started to bloom again (yeah, spring!), and when I saw it today, I thought it looked so pretty against the terracotta planter! I can't wait for all three bushes to be covered in vibrant red booms!

The Nemesis

Like many people, I've had issues with my weight for much of my adult life. Not serious issues, but enough that getting on the scale was not exactly the most pleasurable part of my day (which led to it being a non-existent part of my day, which caused the problem to get worse, but I digress...). Back in 2002, I joined Weight Watchers through a program at work and successfully (and easily!) shed 40 pounds. I loved how I felt and looked. I kept it off for a few years, but then the pounds started creeping back on, especially in the last year. Sure, I tried to lose it, but I just wasn't motivated enough. Well, no more. I've climbed back on that wagon (and the scale) and am determined to succeed this time. I look forward to again someday being happy with the number that faces me in the morning. 

Fire in Bloom

I've been meaning to take my camera down to the corner where I wait for Erin after school, because the flowers that were planted there are so bright and beautiful. This afternoon, I finally remembered, and captured this beauty. Surprisingly, it was really blowing around in the breeze, so I'm surprised it came out so clear. But the color is just spectacular - so bright and eye-catching!

Let There Be Light!

I promise, this will be my last car post for a while. But this was too exciting not to share! Just about my only gripe with my car has been how lousy the headlights were. Granted, I was spoiled by my last car's AWESOME headlights (they were Xenon and moved slightly when the wheel was turned, making the visibility not only bright, but directional!), but the ones on my MS3 were particularly bad. They were really dim and seemed to be pointed too far down at the ground. Well, I couldn't do much myself about where they were pointing (I'm not even good at re-directing the washer fluid jets - I'm certainly not going to try the headlights!), but fixing the dimness turned out to be easy for my live-in grease monkey. We simply ordered an HID bulb kit, and Jim had them installed in less than 20 minutes. The difference is really incredible! I can't wait to go for my first drive at night with them. It'll be great to be able to see again! So here are the before and after shots (SOOC). Not bad, huh?

Color Guard, Attention!

Tonight, Erin's Girl Scout troop presided at the flag ceremony at our City Council meeting. Erin had been asked by our leader to be the Caller - the one girl who gets to speak, calling everyone to attention and leading the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. She worked hard all week to memorize her lines, practicing every day. When we arrived at the Council Chambers, Erin was thrilled to meet the mayor (and surprised to see that it's a woman!), and although she was nervous, she carried out her lines like a pro! Afterward, the Council posed with the girls for a quick photo op, and you can practically see how relieved Erin was in her smile.

Waves

Today's POTD is actually four pictures from my morning walk at the beach. We've been having some amazing surf here lately. Not all of it is due to the recent tsunami alert we were under this weekend - we were seeing the effects of it last week before the earthquake. But this morning, the waves were simply incredible!  The surfers were out and ready to take advantage of it!

It can be hard to gauge the actual size of the waves in photographs sometimes, but if you look closely at this one (you can click on it to see it bigger), you can see that there's actually a surfer riding up the wave, and he looks tiny!

Again, here you can see how small the surfer looks compared to the wave that's about to pummel him.

And finally, this picture is somewhat heartbreaking. The path you see on the right-hand side of the picture actually used to lead down to a beach that was at the bottom of the rock wall. The beach is completely gone. GONE! It remains to be seen if or when it will be built back up. I hope so, because it's one that we really enjoyed going to last year.