Weekend!!!

Thank goodness the weekend is HERE!  Phew!  This week, even though it was a regular week (5 days) seemed to go faster than last week's 4 day work week.  Maybe it was because things were done and broken down into parts.

Thursday hubby and I went to the GRAND OPENING of the new Gelson's store in Rancho Mirage.  If you are interested, it is on Bob Hope Drive, where the old Von's Pavillions is...I think the side street is Gerald Ford.  Hubby was excited to visit this store because Gelson's is one of his favorite stores!  He used to be a buyer for a couple of large stores (Jurgensen's and Irving Ranch Farmer's Markets) and worked at Jensen's for many years.  His first job was working at the Alpha Beta in Palm Springs.  He's been in the grocery business most of his life (until the last 20 years...) and is very familiar with how a grocery store SHOULD be set up and Gelson's is pretty much perfect!  They don't have their bakery or Peet's coffee shop yet, and they are putting in a "roastery" (which I'm not sure what that is...), and, it is a bit out of my way home, but I'll be stopping there a couple of days a week.  I'm cutting back on my Whole Foods visits ("whole paycheck") because their prices are just AWFUL!  And, I went in there the other afternoon to buy organic produce for my class.  GUESS WHAT?  90% of their produce read, "conventionally grown", which is NOT organic.  Pffffffttttttt!  Enough of that hogwash!;

Here's the link to the Gelson's story on our local news:

http://www.kesq.com/news/First-Coachella-Valley-Gelson-s-prepares-for-grand-opening/37669072

Back to normal

Well, hubby SEEMS to be doing okay and it's back to normal around here.  We have two more days of temperatures in the 70's, then by Sunday, we have a forecast of rain and snow down to 3,500 feet!  WOWZA!  Our mountains still have a lot of snow left from the last storm.  I hope they DO get covered!!!

Same old...same old.  We may go to Temecula this weekend as hubby has the weekend off, but we're going to see how tired we both are...Hubby will be 66 in late February and I'll be 64 on Valentine's Day.

Here are some "leftover" photos from two weeks ago.  I don't have any new photos, except the granddaughter at the library...More metal sculptures from Aguanga.  Hubby hasn't stopped to see these yet...

 I LOVE the stagecoach and horses.  LOTS of detail!

 Cactus and a hawk...

 The horses have a lot of detail!

RUN for your life!

Well, hubby went to the doctor and...

Well, hubby went to the doctor yesterday and she couldn't find anything physically wrong with him.  REALLY?

She thinks it was the combination of the drugs he WAS taking for his back...muscle relaxer, some kind of steroid, PLUS the blood pressure pill he has to take daily.  Now, he stopped taking all but his blood pressure pill weeks ago...

She DID order another round of blood work for him and a CAT scan.

Now we get to see if he gets to keep his job.  Oh, joy.

Hubby took a fall at work...

Hubby took a fall at work yesterday.  He turned his head suddenly, got dizzy, and blacked out and fell to the floor.  Fortunately, he was able to throw out his arms and stop the fall.  Also, it was fortunate that he was out in the hallway and there were hundreds of people around.

He declined an ambulance and lasted through the day.  Today he is going to the doctor.

Please send your thoughts and prayers.  He will be 66 next month...I'm thinking he is going to HAVE to cut back his work to 2 or 3 days a week, even though he doesn't have anyone trained at work to take over his position as a manager there.  Well, they'll just have to deal with it.  His health is more important.

~Cheryl Ann~

I didn't go to Temecula, but...

I didn't go visit our son and his family in Temecula today (Saturday).  First, I was too tired from last week.  Second, I was fighting a sore throat all week.  Third, I just didn't have the energy for the trip.  Period.  I really needed to stay home this weekend.

However, our daughter called at 8 a.m. and asked me to meet her and the granddaughter at 9:30 at our nearby Lowe's to watch another middle school band perform for the Palm Springs Tour (bicycle tour).  It was a snack stop/bathroom stop for the bicyclists on their 5, 10, 25, or 55 mile tours!  And, there were a LOT of bicycles!  Man alive!  I used to drive out Thousand Palms Canyon and Dillon Road and take photos of the folks doing the 55 mile ride, but I haven't done that for several years.

Anyway, we sat and listened to the music for about 20 minutes, until the 2 year old started wiggling.  After that, we went to Nordstrom Rack to buy her another pair of Converse tennies for day care.  I mentioned to the daughter that I needed to go to the library and renew my card (every 3 years...), so she offered to bring the little one along and get them both a library card.  So, off we went.

The 2 year old (nearly 3 now...) LOVED the library and they each got 2 books to check out for 2 weeks.  I do believe there will now be trips to the library for the granddaughter and her card is good at any library in Riverside County.

Here are some photos I took with my cell phone while she was in the library:

At least she sat still and LOOKED at the book!

Balloon fun

As I was out driving around the Temecula wine country last weekend, I spotted 3 hot air balloons.  As best I could, I tried to drive closer to them.

This one landed right beside the road.

It was enjoyable spending the day and evening in Temecula, but I'm not sure I'll be going this weekend.  I have been fighting a sore throat all week.  It depends on how I feel Saturday morning...

Good Fences~Temecula

There are lots of different kinds of fences in Temecula.  The wine country has fences, but honestly, I wasn't focusing on their fences.  I was too busy taking photos of barns, hot air balloons, and windmills!  Oh, and vineyards, too!  I did manage to snap a few photos, however, of fences in and around Temecula last weekend.  Now it will be three weeks until we have another 3 day weekend...sigh...

To visit Good Fences, please go to this link:   http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

 Nice, white fence in Temecula wine country...

 This fence and post is looking toward the back of Mt. San Jacinto, toward Hemet.

Another white fence.  I liked the windmill on this ranch outside of Temecula.

Old Town Temecula in the fog

 There are two of these, one on each end of Old Town Temecula.

 Early morning fog...

I liked this old hotel...

Fog!!!

We rarely get fog here in the desert, so I was delighted to awaken to it Saturday morning.  After breakfast, I jumped in the car and went for a drive, just to see the town smothered in it!  I remember foggy days from my home town and they will get fog through June, so the son and his family will probably get sick of it!  But, for us desert dwellers, it is a REAL treat!

 You can see headlights in this photo!  Click on it to enlarge it.

metal sculpture garden, Aguanga, CA

Aguanga is just down the mountain from Anza (where I board my horses).  It isn't even a town.  It's a road junction.  Highway 74 meets up with Highway 79 and one can turn left and go to Warner Springs on 79, or right and drive down to Temecula.  There is some kind of small market nearby and the Stagecoach Inn (which has EXPENSIVE gasoline prices) and doesn't welcome strangers!  But, on the north side of the road is the sculpture/show garden of the artist who makes all the metal sculptures in Temecula.  He also has a show area right next to the childrens' museum in Temecula.

I pulled in next to the eucalyptus trees and got out and wandered around Saturday when I was heading to Temecula.  Unfortunately, I was delayed right away because there was a 2-car auto accident up on Highway 74, right above Palm Desert.  Cars had stopped and some were turning around.  After shouting at a couple of drivers, I learned that ALL lanes were closed due to the accident and that paramedics, fire trucks, and CHP cars weren't even there yet.  So, I, too, turned around and drove home.  I passed 2 fire trucks, 3 CHP cars, and an ambulance on my way back down the mountain.  So, I waited for over an hour for things to be cleared up and then headed back up the mountain.

I was amazed by the detail of the artist's work.  He must truly love dinosaurs and horses, because he had a LOT of them!  There was even a full 4-horse stagecoach with two drivers out front!  I ran into him because he was out talking to some other folks.  He said prices range from $800 to $3,000 and some are more expensive than that.  I never really got a photo of the Indian on horseback, which is up on a hill because the cars behind me were right on my bumper and there was no place to pull over, so I'll leave that for another time.

I did wander around and make friends with his dog, however, and it was a nice, 70 degree day, so I took my time!

Enjoy! ~~ I stopped on my way back yesterday and took more photos, but I'll save those for a later time.

 I call these the "Three Brothers"...

 LOTS of dinosaurs!  The grandson would LOVE these!

 Hey, wait for me!

 Some are quite humorous!  I wonder how much this guy is?  I'd love to put him out front by my mailbox!

 Yes, there is even a polo pony!

 There are (I think...) about 4 rows of sculptures.

LOOK OUT!

3 day weekend ~ I'm doin' the HAPPY DANCE!!!

Last week was a L-O-N-G week for us teachers.  We have been off for 3 weeks and this past week just dragged.  I thought Friday would NEVER come, but it did!

I had 3 students move during vacation.  Wow...that's NEVER happened before.  One boy went back to Mexico, a girl moved to another town, and another girl moved schools because it is closer to their home and her mom's car broke down.  Isn't that sad?  And, she was my TOP girl!  I'm devastated.  But, she lives across the railroad tracks and that school is right by her house, so she and her brother can walk to school.  We often don't realize or understand the difficulties faced by kids today.  I know I moan and groan about them, but some have some real hardships.  A former student's father is in JAIL and will soon be deported to Mexico.  There are countless stories like these.  One year, I had a girl who lived in a car with her dad and brother.  Sad, eh?  Yes, they were homeless.

Anyway, I have a 3 day weekend and I'm GOING TO ENJOY IT!  Hubby is still down and out with his HORRIBLE case of bronchitis.  He has a hard time working a full day.  I think he's going to retire as of his birthday, which is next month.  Poor guy...he's really struggling right now.

I also have two 3-day weekends in February, so that's something to look forward to, also.  Today I'm driving to Temecula to spend the day (and night) with our son and his family.  Hubby is off today and he'll just stay home and rest and spent the day with the dog and cat.

I'll be taking photos along the way.  I want to stop in Aguanga and take photos of the metal sculptures there along the road.  The artist had to move them all from the overlooks and put them in one area.

Enjoy your day!  I'll be back tomorrow.
~Cheryl Ann~

Maybe I'll get a better hawk photo than this one!  This is our neighborhood hawk up on the telephone pole in our back yard...

I'm BACK!!!

Apparently Microsoft had updates to run and that is what was holding up my laptop this morning.  All is well now...

One more day of school this week, then a 3 day weekend!  Whoo, whoo!!!

No photos today

I can't post photos today.  All of my photos are on my Sony laptop and it is acting GOOFY this morning.  It WILL NOT load the Internet.  I CANNOT even shut it down!  Something is screwy.

I survived another day at school yesterday.  Really, I'm just plugging along day by day...counting the days until I can retire.  BLAH.  There.  I said it.

We took the daughter and granddaughter out to dinner last night at Haus of Pizza.  Needless to say, I have leftovers for lunch!

See you tomorrow!
~~Cheryl Ann~~

Two trains

I had tried to spot some trains early Friday morning, but I kept missing them.  There are only a few places where one can see them from the car.  The Whitewater crossing is a good one and the next road, west of Whitewater, runs along the tracks.  You can also view them from the Indian Canyon exit, but you have to go down by the Amtrak train depot and it is a real pit.  Ugh.  I don't like to drive down there, but sometimes I do, just to take photos of the windmills.

ANYWAY...

I spotted a train coming east as I was exiting Whitewater Canyon.  I raced down the Whitewater exit to try to get to the crossing, but that train must have been moving at 70 mph!  Instead, I pulled off just as it went east and another train (that I hadn't seen) was moving west!  I caught the rear engine of one and the two engines of the other one just as they passed each other.

And, that was the last day of my vacation.  I did manage to survive the first day back at school, but 3 students were absent, so I only had 21.  We had a good day...

 Engines passing...

 Trains passing each other, one going east, the other one going west...

Bye, bye!!!

3 week winter break is OVER!

I'm so sad to end my three week winter break.  I really had a good time for a couple of weeks just...doing NOTHING.  I basically stayed home and cleaned the house.  I cleaned out my office and took 2 carloads of STUFF over to Angel View and Goodwill.  That was mostly school stuff.  But, now I have a lot of room in my office!  I need to get started on my retirement paperwork.  I did look it over and it is VERY involved!  But, that's my goal:  to retire in June!  

This last week hubby had to go in to work, so I had... FREE TIME!  I helped our son and his family with their move to Temecula from Indio.  It took him 2 truck loads to move all their furniture.  They have a huge L-shaped couch, a couch from my aunt, and 2 smaller ones and a large chair for the living room.  Plus, a washer, dryer, fridge, and stove.  And, that was during the El Nino rains!  But, they are settled in now.  Hubby and I drove out Saturday afternoon to spend the night with them, but he got called into work Sunday morning, so away we went.

I did find some trains to photograph out by Whitewater.  And, I returned to the Whitewater Preserve on Friday because their road was open.  I see why it was closed...mud and rocks were all over it past the river.

So, it was a good three weeks.  And, I have a 3 day weekend this coming weekend, and two more in February!  Then, spring break at the end of March, and then a LONG stretch until June 10th.  We only have the Memorial Day weekend as a break.

 Some of the cottonwoods still have color.

 There are just a few sycamore leaves left on the trees.

 Looking up toward the San Bernardino mountains...COLD!

The fish pond was very quiet on Friday.

WINDMILLS! More and more of them

I had a horrible headache yesterday morning and was supposed to meet a couple of my good friends for lunch, but I had to cancel.  I just was out of it.  I did take some Whole Foods 365 Vitamin C powder in hot water and my afternoon, I felt better, so I grabbed my camera and out I went.  It was my last day of FREEDOM before this weekend and I wanted to drive out and try to find a couple of trains to photograph.

No trains.  Nothing.  Apparently they sleep during the mid-day.

However, I did take photos (LOTS OF THEM!) of the windmills.  I even stopped by some gigantic ones and sat and listened to them.  They really are quite noisy!  Their shadows kept crossing the roadway and it was something out of "War of the Worlds".  Huge, gigantic monsters...

Does anybody know how or where I can find a schedule of the trains that pass through the Coachella Valley?  I googled it for over an hour yesterday and found NOTHING.  I know trains go through the valley all day as I found one website that said 40 travel through here daily, but I simply cannot find a schedule.  It would be nice sometime to be able to get out to a location with my tripod and camera and wait for a train!

So, instead, I took 96 photos of windmills...ENJOY!  It was a beautiful day to get out anyway!   I drove all the way out to Cabazon, up Highway 62 to Morongo Valley for a way, down Indian Avenue, and made the loop back to the Whitewater exit, and then back home.

 One of the gigantic windmills.  If you stop by one, you can hear the big blades swishing.

 Some medium sized windmills and several smaller ones in the back.

 View of them against the Santa Rosa mountains in the back.

 I tried to get a shot of the windmills against Mt. San Jacinto, but it was 2 p.m. and the light was horrible.

 Looking back toward Painted Hills from Interstate 10...

Looking back up the hills from the Whitewater exit off Interstate 10.

I hope you have enjoyed these photos of the windmills.  I did notice this trip that there are a LOT more of them!  However, I do NOT see any kind of rate reduction from Southern California Edison, which uses the power from the windmills.  Oh, well...typical, I guess!

Trains and windmills, oh my!

Some people don't like windmills.  I get it.  They are noisy and they mess up the view.  Our windmill farms here in the Coachella Valley seem to be spawning...they are all along the I-10 corridor.  That's where the wind gets funneled between two 10,000 foot mountains, so that's where they are.  I know they even offer tours for the local schools.

So, I get complaints that I have windmills in my photos.

EXCUSE ME?

Look, they are here to stay.  I used to drive out along Varner Road and Edom Hill just to take photos of windmills.  They are part of our valley now, along with the two solar farms.

I'm going out today (again) to take photos because the sky is clear and the snow is glistening.  Maybe I'll take photos of windmills.  Hopefully I'll be in the right place at the right time for a few more train photos, too!  

~~Cheers~
~Cheryl Ann~

 Windmills and Mt. San Jacinto

 These are up by Route 62 to Morongo Valley and Desert Hot Springs

Different train, different location.  Not quite as impressive a view as the one yesterday.  This is right above the Palm Springs Amtrak station, which is a real dump.