SNOW and more SNOW and more SNOW!!!!

Our local Santa Rosa mountains got SNOW and more snow, and more snow last night!  We even got some rain about 6:00 p.m.  I headed outside early this morning to feed the birds, knowing they would be hungry after yesterday's storm.  And, the Cooper's hawk has already swooshed through the yard a couple of times!

So, our daughter wanted her baby girl (age 20 months) to experience the snow, so we all headed up Highway 74 this morning.  And, we didn't have far to go to see snow...even before Vista Point, there it was!  I was SO excited!  We haven't had snow this low for several years!   ;-)  And, it was more than just a dusting!  There were quite a few cars stopped in the turnouts and people were out throwing snowballs!  It's still clear as of now and I may take another run up there tomorrow!   :-)

Bighorn sheep herd spotted yesterday

So, yesterday I FINALLY got up the energy to go check on my horses!  Additionally, I wanted to visit them BEFORE the Arctic storm moved in, just to make sure they had enough pellets.  They were fine.  They are all shaggy and filthy!  Oh, and Quad has eaten half of Sunni's tail!   :-(

On my way back down Highway 74, I spotted two cars pulled off to the side of the road.  Now, remember, there aren't that many turnouts on that road.  I spotted one man with a camera, so I knew there was a herd of bighorn sheep.  YUP!  There were 4 of them.  I saw the large ram resting and keeping an eye on his females.  That's the life!  They were about 100 yards off the road and they blended in perfectly with the rocks there, but I could see them when they moved.  The ram didn't move the whole time I was there, however.  He just kept soaking up the sun!

I'm always humbled to spot herd of bighorn.  They are so perfectly adapted to this harsh environment.  I always try to observe and study them as long as I can, but yesterday cars were whizzing by me (NOBODY else stopped!) and I didn't have a lot of room to manuever, so I headed back to my car.  I always feel that each sighting of them is something to be savored.

I cropped the top two photos, but left the bottom one uncropped.  Can you spot the bighorns?  If not, just click on the photo to enlarge it.  I wanted to capture them in their natural environment.

I just like to sit and watch the birds

You know, I just like to sit at my little computer table, with my laptop, and watch the birds these days.  It's very relaxing AND entertaining!  After eating nothing but food and more food for 2 days, it's time to get back to normal routines.  And, since I still have two more full weeks of vacation, I think I'll just sit and watch the birds!    I fell asleep the past two nights right after dinner...once at our son's house and last night on the couch, with our daughter's dog snuggled under my chin!  Hubby and I are ready for some peace & quiet today after being with 3 grandkids the past two days!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Have a safe, restful, and enjoyable Christmas with your family.  I'll be back in a couple of days!

Take care.
~~Cheryl Ann~~
Photo of the ranch this month.

Music playlist NOT playing now...sigh...

Well, after 1 1/2 days, my music playlist isn't playing this morning.  I reinstalled the code and... NADA!  Hm....maybe Tumblr was hacked by the North Koreans?  I'll just let it sit for a couple of days.

Went to the dermatologist yesterday to have a full body scan (I wore shorts and a tank top).  I especially wanted her to see this angry red "thing" on my arm, which I've had forever, but now it got bumpy and RED.  She didn't think it was anything cancerous and she sprayed it, but told me to come back in a month for another "look/see".  Other than that, it was a quiet day here.

Today we run out to do our Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas day dinner shopping, so we'll be braving the crowds and traffic.

If I don't get back to you, have a WONDERFUL Christmas with your families!
~~Cheryl Ann~~

The horse ranch on Sunday...

Palm Springs windows~Whimsical Windows and Delirious Doors~122214

Last weekend we took the grandson to Palm Springs to visit his parents, while they were at the hospital with his baby sister (she was severely jaundiced)...We parked, ate lunch and walked to a nearby ice cream shop on Palm Canyon Drive.  Of course, with my camera in hand, I was more interested in the windows and doors of the buildings and I nearly got run over by a Cadillac SUV.  The woman rudely honked at me in a parking lot...and then told me...well, I can't repeat it here!  HOW RUDE!  One day this winter break, I'm going to spend an entire DAY in Palm Springs, just taking photos of the beautiful windows there!  Here is a little sample:

Whimsical Windows and Delirious Doors for Monday, December 22, 2014.  To visit WWDD, please go to:   http://iwishiwereaphotographer.blogspot.com/2014/12/whimsical-windows-delirious-doors-160.html

Music bar added

I've added a music bar to the top of the blog (in orange)...If you would like to hear a few of my music choices, just hit the single arrow.  If you wish to scroll through to another song, hit the double arrow on the right.  The music will ONLY play if you hit the play button.  I always work better with music in the background and I found this device on Tumblr.  I'll be adding more songs, but this is a start...

Or, if you prefer blogs without music, it won't come on until you hit the play button!   :-)

If you want to listen to a very soothing, haunting piece, scroll to "Sunrise on Lake Ponchartrain".  It's from the soundtrack "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Bighorn sheep at the Living Desert Reserve

So, last weekend we took the grandson to the Living Desert Reserve.  He wasn't thrilled with the bighorn sheep, but we were!  There were several of them out on display.  One large ram nestled himself back behind some rocks and all I ever saw of him were his horns.  These, however, were out after eating their breakfast!

The shoer is coming this morning to do all the horses, so I'll be heading up to the horse ranch.  Hopefully I'll get enough photos to last until after Christmas!

 No, this isn't the big guy, but I liked his horns anyway!

After the storm

We had a nice, RAINY storm here in the desert last Friday and then again this week.  It's always nice to see the desert after a rain.  For two mornings, as I drove to work, we actually had fog here, which is a rare sight indeed.

Last Sunday morning, as I was driving home from 3 days of babysitting the grandson, while his baby sister was in the hospital for jaundice, I took a side road through the sand dunes.  I'll be posting more photos of the dunes later as they are indeed a beautiful sight to see.

I stopped to take a couple of photos of the sand after the rain.  The ripples really stood out!

Okay...I've calmed down (somewhat)...

After reading folks' comments, I'm BEGINNING to calm down.

Somebody mentioned an online photo storage program that automatically watermarks photos...does anybody know which program that is?

I have used picmonkey in the past to crop photos and I can watermark them through that, but I would have to do each photo individually...Does anybody use picmonkey?

I probably won't be posting photos of the family, especially the little ones, however.  I just don't feel right doing that.

Life goes on...I get it.  And, I really DO want to share my adventures and MISadventures with ya' all! :-)
Cheryl Ann

Well, now...THIS is interesting!!!

http://www.contentfac.com/copyright-infringement-penalties-are-scary/

photo update

Okay, so apparently it doesn't bother some people that their photos are on Google images.  Ok.  I get that.  It DOES bother me, however, that photos of my granddaughter are posted there, so over winter break I'm going to do some culling of my posts here and delete those with family photos.  I really don't want them shared with the entire world.

As to my own photos, they are pretty crappy anyway, so why should I care?

It just bothers me that ANOTHER huge corporation is trampling individual rights.  I don't have time to read their 100+ page document on Google terms.  I've deleted this blog from search engines and I guess from now on, I'll have to watermark every photo, which seems like a huge waste of time.

I was hoping to one day (after I retire) put together a book about Deep Canyon.  There is so little information about it, I was hoping that somebody would be interested.

Cheryl Ann

Update on photo copyright

Okay, so I went to Copyscape.com and typed in this blog's address.  It showed the ONLY photos on the Internet were the ones on my various blog posts.

BULL!

There are 14 of my photos on Google Images.  I typed in "deep canyon" and was HORRIFIED to see them there.  They are being used WITHOUT my permission!

Copyscape seems to be pretty useless....sigh...

Anybody have any ideas/suggestions?  I resent the fact that my photos are "out there" for anybody to use anytime.

Has anybody ever contacted Google?  Is it worth it?
Thank you in advance.
Cheryl Ann

Here's one of my photos being posted WITHOUT my permission:  And, this photo isn't even of Deep Canyon...This is Buellton!  Now I'm up to 18 because I found MORE this morning!  See update below.

UPDATE:  I clicked on the photo and you can send them a message (google images)...so now, over winter break, I'll contact them on each and every photo I see and tell them that they are violating copyright laws and to take down/remove each and every photo!  This is ridiculous!!!

FURTHER UPDATE:  My blog header photo is on Google images, COMPLETELY WITHOUT my permission!  Gasp!  So far, I have sent feedback regarding 5 photos which they used without permission.

So far, I have now sent feedback to remove 9 photos...sigh...this will take most of my winter break to resolve.  Please DO CHECK google images to see if yours are being used without your permission.  Type in a phrase as to where they were taken.  I just typed in "Deep Canyon, CA"...so far I'm only about 1/4 of the way down the page, and, like I said, I've already found 9 images, including my blog header photo, available for ANYBODY to copy and use!  I'm horrified!

I have a question

Why would 14 of my blog photographs be on Google images when I have COPYSCAPE and it CLEARLY says on my blog, "Do NOT copy"...?  I was horrified to see them there this morning.  They were used WITHOUT my permission, written or otherwise!   :-(

I have now added a paragraph about copyright.  Does anybody use something similar?  Obviously COPYSCAPE doesn't work...

By the way, I found this on a blog:

"You are violating copyright if you have not gotten express PERMISSION from the copyright holder OR are using pics that are public domain, creative commons, etc."

Has any other blogger had this problem?????

UFO's???

Al, over at Travel with the Bayfield Bunch (http://thebayfieldbunch.com/) had an interesting post last night.  He believes he saw a UFO while they were boondocking near the Salton Slabs.

Well, I don't doubt him.  That area is known for its UFO sightings, as it Cahuilla Mountain.  Cahuilla Mountain is within about 5 miles of where I board my horses and yes, there is SOMETHING about it...It is a huge mass of granite and maybe some minerals, but it has the distinction of being a "UFO hot-spot".  I've NEVER seen one myself.

However, my best friend Barb, who lives up in Pinyon, swears she and her daughter saw one once.  She said it came right out of Deep Canyon.  Now, believe me, there is NOTHING down there in Deep Canyon.  No homes.  NO ROADS.  There are hiking trails, but that's all.  Oh, and maybe some bighorn sheep.  NOTHING.  NADA.  ZILCH.  So, what could it have been?  And, it came straight up out of the canyon (which is deep...hence its name...)

She told me it came out of the canyon and followed her car.  Would an Air Force experimental craft do that?  I doubt it.  She also described a slight tingling in her brain.   Hmmmm.....

Anyway, that's her story.

Here is one photo I took of Deep Canyon.  I took the top one below one morning after a storm.  The clouds are rising from Deep Canyon.

***PHOTO IS COPYRIGHTED***DO NOT use it without my express written permission.

I've been AWOL again!!!

I've been AWOL now for several days because the newborn had to go back to the hospital to be treated for jaundice and Grandpa and I got recruited for babysitting the 5 year old grandson.  I took Friday off school because I had to pick him up from half-day kindergarten.  We took him to the Living Desert Reserve Saturday morning and wore him and ourselves out!  Then, to the hospital to see his mom & dad, and we all had lunch in Palm Springs.  Then, back to their house to await his return for the night, but his parents kept him with them.  I came home this morning completely exhausted.  I'm going to school to REST next week!

I did get out Friday with my camera to take some photos of the storm and again on Saturday morning, so I have plenty of photos for this upcoming week.

Here are a few of the storm clouds Friday.  I think Palm Desert got about 1/10 of an inch of rain that day.  Yes, it was COLD and DREARY!

Storm approaching!!!

I actually took these photos two weekends ago, but we have another storm approaching Thursday and Friday (here in the desert).  Snow is forecast to be down to 4,500 feet.  The desert has over a 75% chance of rain on Friday and I may take the day off.  I'm already fighting a sore throat and I was super tired today...we'll see.  Anyway, blizzard conditions are forecast for the Sierra Nevada and Northern California is expecting to get hit hard by this storm.

Lake Hemet

I like driving up to Lake Hemet now.  It's so quiet and restful.  I find myself needing this quiet place more and more.  There's a storm front moving in, so it may get some snow by the weekend.  :-)

One of my favorite cottages

This is one of my favorite cottages up in the little community inside Garner Valley.  Unlike the 5 acre spreads, the community has houses close together.  I love to drive through it, smell the fireplace smoke, and admire the Virginia Creeper (the red vines).

Cloudy skies

Cloudy skies last weekend.  Actually, we had RAIN down here in the desert starting Tuesday, even through yesterday (Friday).  It sure is NICE!   :-)

"Old man" cottonwood

There is a section of Highway 74 that weaves through an oak forest.  And, by the road is a mature cottonwood, which I call "Old Man" cottonwood.  I always stop to pay respect to it.  I love to watch it throughout the seasons.  Here it was last weekend...

Why I've been AWOL for a couple of days

Our daughter-in-law went in for her weekly pregnancy checkup on Tuesday and WHOOPS!  She was immediately sent to the hospital!  This baby was coming!  She only had a 4 hour labor and out popped our newest grandchild, a girl, little Hayley!  I took the day off work yesterday and we bought lunch for the starving parents (the hospital food is HORRIBLE and our son didn't leave the room to even get food!).  We ended up staying with them for 5 hours!

So, here she is and here's the proud papa, too!

She weighed more than her brother and she has a LOT of hair!!!

Welcome, little Hayley!

From the desert to the mountains

Living where we do (at the base of the Santa Rosa mountains) here in Palm Desert, it is an easy drive up into our local mountains.  I love driving up into them and stopping to breathe in the air, listen to the scrub jays chatter, and just let the mountains envelop me.  I find this to be very destressing, also.

I go from the Coachella Valley floor to the pinyon forest in about 10 minutes.  It's another 20 minutes up to Garner Valley and the Ponderosa pines.  It's another 15 minutes to Lake Hemet.  I find the driving relaxing the entire time.

I've taken so many photos of this land the last 6 years and Sunday, when the clouds were spilling over the mountains, off I went!  These photos show the pinyon forest area.

 Clouds spilling over the Santa Rosa mountains.

 Pinyon forest area.

 A view (or not)... of the San Jacinto mountains above Palm Springs, CA.

I love how the clouds move through the trees at the top of the mountains.

Valley of clouds

Once in a while we get this...moisture coming up from the Gulf of California and Mexico and Sunday morning, as I drove up Highway 74, I could see that the Coachella Valley, below me, was full of clouds.  I was able to find a wide turnout and take these photos.  As I got further up into our local mountains, I could see that a storm system was coming from the north also.  These photos are looking out across Deep Canyon, toward Indio and Coachella.