Idyllwild trip

Hubby and I spent 3 nights up in Idyllwild and are now back home for the holiday.  We were there Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights at the Silver Pines Lodge and cabins.  We rented one of the individual cabins with a rock fireplace.  Not so good.  The fireplace let cold air drop down into the cabin and we finally got a fire going ($80 for firewood was spent) and kept it going for the entire 3 days!  Our friends even donated some of the pine cuttings (which were FULL of sap!) to help us keep warm.  But, it was nice for a change from the desert!  I had to take Lady, our shepherd, out for early morning bathroom breaks and I could clearly see the stars like the Orion constellation.  WOW!  I also heard a pack of coyotes howling up on the hill (the cabins back up to national forest land) one morning when I took her for a potty break.  They apparently had just caught something and were whooping it up. We took Lady with us because we've only had her 2 months (she is a rehomed PUREBRED German Shepherd, age 6 or older...), but she is so well mannered I knew she'd be fine.  She was REAL interested in the gray squirrels out back behind the porch!  I looked out yesterday morning and there were 30 quail, 3 young ravens (they were hilarious!), several blue jays, and about 6 squirrels, and 1 rabbit hopping its way down the ravine next door!  I had thrown out some birdseed with corn and they were all enjoying it.  Oh, and 3 flickers!  We love going to Idyllwild and since it is only one hour away, we save on gasoline.  Hubby cooked dinner each night on the BBQ behind the lodge.  Here are some pics from our trip.  Enjoy your holiday today!

Mountain moods

I'm trying to get up to date here on this blog because we're spending a couple of nights up in Idyllwild.  We rented a cabin and the kids and grandson might drive up and join us.  It will be nice to be up with the bluejays and squirrels again.  We are taking Lady with us.  Did I tell you about Lady?  She is a 6 year old PERFECTLY MANNERED purebred German Shepherd that a co-worker wanted to rehome.  The gal just didn't have time for her, she was too big, she shed too much, yadda, yadda, yadda.  She asked if anybody wanted her and I yelled, "I DO!".  We lost our previous German Shepherd in December of last year when he died because of complications from canine lupus.  So, we have been without a shepherd for almost a year.  And, we missed having one.  So, Lady came to us.  Like I said, she has impecable manners, she's quiet, she eats well...she whines to go outside and do her "business"...so, we are taking her with us.  They do allow dogs at the cabins and I didn't want to leave her at home.  Ripley is okay staying at home because she's done it before, but Lady hasn't...

So, these were some of the moods of the mountains yesterday.  Beautiful, eh?  I LOVE IT when the clouds move in and start falling off the mountain!

Turn around

I went to a photography class once and the instructor told us, "Be sure, when you take a photo, that you turn around and look at what's behind you!".  So, yesterday I did and you can see the two photos below.  Look at the difference between the desert side and the mountain side!

Breathtaking...

Yesterday was one of those breathtaking days when I just couldn't WAIT to get out of the house and get going up the mountain.  And, I was rewarded with scenes like this!  WOW!  The clouds were moving in, it was a crisp, cold day...what more could I want for my first day of my 9 days' vacation?  (We have 9 days off for the Thanksgiving break...a whole week, with two weekends!)  As I traveled further up the road, it began to cool down and mist.  More photos coming!

Just a couple of things...

I've had a few people write that they are having trouble viewing this blog with Internet Explorer.  Frankly, I don't use Explorer anymore.  I use Google Chrome and I NEVER have trouble viewing other blogs.  So, I don't know what to tell you. Try viewing it with Chrome.

Also, I don't publish anonymous comments.  I realize that some people don't have a name, but if you don't, you won't see your comment published.  PERIOD.  I just delete anonymous comments, no matter how tasteful they are.  I had 7 anonymous comments on a post I did back in May and I can't figure out for the life of me why 7 people would do that.

Finally, please don't leave a comment regarding your business.  If you do, I'll just delete it. I don't care about your business and I don't think others do either.

Thank you for your cooperation.

~~Cheryl Ann~~

Fobes Road fence~Friday's Fences~111612

There's a fairly well maintained dirt road up in Garner Valley called Fobes Road.  I often take it and stop and TRY to get a photo of the meadowlarks which seem to enjoy sitting on this fence, but they are too skittish and fly away!  A lot of people take this road, too, because it leads up to the PCT.  Hubby and I drive almost to the top one time, until the road got so narrow that it would have scratched the X-Terra.  So, I am content to drive down the well-used part, watch the meadowlarks, and enjoy this view!  Friday's Fences for November 16, 2012.  I have the next 9 days off and we will be spending a few days and nights up in Idyllwild!  :-)  Please come visit Friday's Fences at :    http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com/

Desert mornings

I love our mornings here in the desert.  Unfortunately, I have to drive to work on 5 of them every week...sigh...but I often take my camera with me, especially if there are clouds in the sky.  Clouds just add such a different perspective!  However, on this morning (a weekend), the sky was clear.