More photos from Los Rios apple ranch, Oak Glen

I took all these photos up at the Los Rios apple orchard, which I believe is now called "Riley's Los Rios".   I think Riley's Farm bought them out.   Riley's Farm is actually further down the road and is the first apple orchard you come to as you drive up Beaumont Avenue.  If you take Interstate 10 to Beaumont, get off at Beaumont Avenue and follow it right up to Oak Glen.   The original Riley's Farm, down the road, has a huge white barn and the folks there dress up in Revolutionary War costumes.   They actually have a petting zoo right by the parking lot and a working strawberry patch and a gift store.  You can actually go inside the main building there, too.   It is a lot of fun.

However, we were at the Los Rios apple orchard, which is up the hill past the curve in the road.  They do have a petting zoo...I just don't know if the class got to see it because I left early.  They have a huge lawn and picnic area and they are next to the Wildlands Conservacy with its trails and sunflowers. They also have a large gift shop, apple store, and a cafe and bakery.   They always seem to be smoking ribs too!   :-)   During Halloween time, they decorate the place with pumpkins.

Here are more photos from our exciting day:

 Kiddos were learning how apple cider is made...

 Nana sat down and rested on one of these chairs!

Apple country ~ Oak Glen

So, Miss Ellie's kindergarten class went to Oak Glen yesterday.   It was her class and another one.   Her mommie took the day off from teaching and went with her on the bus.  Nana drove her own car and met them up there.   There was NO WAY I was going on a school bus!   I knew I wouldn't last until lunch time, so that's another reason I drove separately, and I was right.   I was DONE by 11:00.

So, I got to go with them on the behind-the-scenes tour of the apple packing plant, which I had never done.   Our 3rd graders NEVER went up to this ranch.   I do believe that the kindergarten classes did go to another ranch, but I don't know if they still do that field trip.

We saw where the apples are washed, dried, culled, sorted, and then boxed.   It was interesting to see the process.  Then "Johnny Appleseed" came out to one of the orchards and talked about the kinds of apples and when they bloom and when they are picked.   The kiddos were fairly attentive.   Off in the distance, however, I and another parent heard gunshots...maybe something bothering the apple orchards?

Then they went and sat down and each kid picked 2 apples to put into the apple cider press.   By then I was lightheaded from lack of water, the heat, and low blood sugar.   I left.   Fortunately I had a bean & cheese burrito in my car from my early morning stop at Bakers, so I ate that and drank a whole liter of water on my way down the mountain.  It was a warm day up there...86 degrees when I left.  And, the humidity was building up.   There were thunderheads building up around the mountains, but I was in too much of a hurry to GET HOME to stop and take photos.   Grandpa and I will return in early October since Miss Ellie has a day off school for staff development and I won't have to drive her to school that day.

Here are a few photos from yesterday... MORE tomorrow!

 Apples in boxes

 I liked this roof...

 Apples going up the conveyor belt to be washed

 LOVED this door!

 Apples in tree...

 Ladder

Nice clouds! 

More pics tomorrow...

Summer is quickly fading...

Summer is quickly fading and not soon enough!

This was a rough summer.   First, our July temps were the... HIGHEST ON RECORD...EVER.   There were more days of temps over 100 degrees EVER!   I remember a couple of summers when we didn't have to even turn on the air conditioner until AFTER July 4th.   Not this summer or the previous one!  Our air conditioner ran from May through...even today.   We have, however, been able to turn it off at night and open up the windows to let some fresh air inside and some days we've been able to leave the house open until about noon.   NOT TODAY.   The temps are up and so is the humidity.

But, I digress...

Summer is quickly fading...How do I know?    The sun is setting more to the south.  I notice it on the ridge line of the San Jacinto mountains and it is WAY south than June!  I don't notice it from our own house, but when I'm out on Interstate 10, I see where it is setting.   It would be interesting to track it with sticks and put the dates on each stick...say, once a month.   Maybe I'll do that sometime...

Also, our nights are getting cooler.   Right now they are in the mid to high 70's, but this week we will get down into the 60's.   YAY!   And, I've noticed the maintenance workers already scalping some of the golf courses (to everyone's ANNOYANCE!)   Additionally, I've seen birds start to return to the desert, including a black phoebe and 2 ducks that I saw flying one morning while driving the 5 year old to kindergarten.   And, that lovely soft, golden late afternoon light is back...that gorgeous autumn glow...ahhhhh......

So, summer... PLEASE fade away some more!   I'm anxious to plant my hollyhocks! 

Enjoy your day.
Cheryl Ann

Idyllwild weekend

So, our daughter made a reservation (Sandy...) in Idyllwild for the Labor Day weekend, which was unusual because we thought everything was reserved.   Well, one of the cabin houses wasn't, so off we went, with the dog, and our daughter, son-in-law, and their 2 kiddos.

Papa and I and Bodie (our dog) got up to the cabin about 3:30 p.m. Friday, since we won't work.  I DO, however, have to drive Miss Ellie to kindergarten every morning now because her school starts...get this...90 MINUTES after her mother's school!   Yikes!   And, it looks like I'll have a job for the next 6 years because when Brady (the 2 year old) starts school, it will be the same MESS.   However, the governor has a bill on his desk to have ALL California schools start about the same time, so we will see!

ANYWAY...

We passed through the fire burn area on our way up and from Idyllwild.   The Cranston fire actually burned down RIGHT TO the Hurkey Creek campground, across from Lake Hemet.   And, I mean right to the kids' play area with their swings and climbers!   SCARY!   Then, up to the top of the summit, up and over, and to the very EDGE of the town of Idyllwild.   Some of my favorite turnouts, where one can look down to Hemet, are now burned.  Kids at the summer camps in Idyllwild were ALL evacuated and now I see why.   Dark, burned, lifeless...sigh...

It was good, however, to spend a weekend in Idyllwild.   Our daughter and I headed out Saturday morning to look at some of the yard sales.   I bought a bag FULL of lace, 5 books at the library for my journals, and a library bag.   She found a bunch of stuff...a beautiful glass pitcher, some items for the kids.   We had a BLAST while the boys got to babysit the 5 year old and the 2 year old.   Our puppy, Bodie, who is now 9 months, is EXCELLENT with the kids and they all play together!

We cooked up a batch of loaded potato soup for dinner Friday night and had leftovers Saturday for lunch, along with sandwiches.  It wasn't too hot in Idyllwild...mid 80's and nights were in the 60's.   We DID, however, get a surprise visitor Saturday night:   a BAT!   I awoke to hubby swinging a broom around (I thought he was coming after me!), but then I saw the bat.   He never got it, but the son-in-law managed to swipe it into MY OVERNIGHT BAG and take it outside, where it flew away!   SUCH EXCITEMENT!   Apparently they are very common up there.

Sunday we just stayed in and let the kids (and Bodie...on a 15' horse lead rope) play in the front yard.   There were blue jays, squirrels, even a huge cottontail rabbit.  Bodie took off after one of the squirrels and was stunned when he came to the end of the lead rope, which is WHY I BROUGHT IT.  There isn't a gate at the end of the driveway and he is new enough, I didn't want him running after some critter and not coming back!   He did manage to get OUT of the cabin once, but he just came around to the front door!   GOOD BOY!

We left around noon Monday, back to 109 degrees.   It was actually 115 here yesterday and today it will be about 112, but then temps go back to around 107, 106 and even lower...still triple digits, however.   BUT, the nights are in the mid 70's, so we open all the windows and allow the cool air inside and give the air conditioner a rest.

Here are some photos from Idyllwild:

 Bodie on his 15' horse lead rope so he wouldn't run down the street!!!

 Brady and Bodie.   Both are about the same age mentally.

 Brady looking for goodies in one of the food boxes!

 Brady and his ball and rake.   He is a TERRIBLE TWO!

 Brady, Jennifer, Ellie, and Bodie....all getting along

 Fire...ugh.   This is RIGHT as you make the final turn before hitting town.

Looking down toward Hemet.   The Hemet side of Highway 74 was severely damaged.

Passages~~

My aunt died 2 nights ago.   She was the last remaining relative of my parents' generation.   My mother died in 2000 and my dad passed in 1998.   Mom was 82 (she died of pneumonia) and my dad, who was 88, slipped and hit his head while in the shower.   He died 2 days later.   I was able to see him one last time before he slipped away... 

My aunt would have been 96 last month.   She was my mother's sister.   My female line is composed of hardy women.   I have been able to trace that particular line back to the Quakers who influenced even me today (sometimes...).  They were hardy, healthy women who lived long lives.   My maternal grandmother lived to be 100, and I do remember my great-grandmother, who lived to be 94.

This was really hard on our daughter.   She wasn't especially close to her own grandmother, but she was to my aunt.   Aunt Claire and my uncle moved from San Diego to the desert and Jennifer and our son would frequently stop by to see them.   My uncle died only 2 years after moving here.  He was 92 when he passed.   Claire remained in their home here for another year until her own daughter came and moved her to a facility in San Diego.  She was promised she could have her dog there (Claire always had dogs), but then was told "No dogs".  That was a huge blow to her.  Apparently at one point she wandered out and got lost, so she was moved to the second floor.  Our daughter said that the last two times they stopped to see her, she was asleep.  Finally, she took a nasty fall during the summer and that was it.

Our daughter went to school yesterday, but was unable to finish the day, so she came home and I spent the morning and early afternoon with her, going through books of family photos.   I do believe she will be okay today.

... passages...

So, now my husband and I are the oldest living members of our family.   I DO have a cousin up in Alaska who is 2 years older then me, but he doesn't communicate.   We grew up almost as brother and sister, since we were both "only children", but writing isn't his strong point.   He's an accountant.  I haven't heard from him and I doubt that I will.   He is Claire's only son.   He has a sister 11 years younger than himself, but SHE doesn't communicate with us AT ALL. She thinks we are pagans or heathens, but her Christianity reeks of snobbishness, so I really don't care.

Aunt Claire, rest in peace, August 26, 2018...

A Rite of summer passage completed this morning

We have had relatively cooler mornings here the last 2 days (ONLY 80 degrees or so...), so this morning I picked up the weeder and went out back where the grass was 2 feet high in some places!   YES!   Can you believe it?   It really was getting to the point of hopelessness.   And, one of my chores was to thin out my hollyhocks.   I'd say 90% of them were dead and had long ago gone to seed.   I have harvested the seeds for this coming fall and by next Spring I should have a nice crop of them!   So, I picked off the remaining seeds, took my clippers out, and cut off ALL the dead stalks.   It looks SO MUCH BETTER now.  And, I used the weeder until the battery ran out (apparently it was NOT fully charged) and I am now charging it up.   Hopefully I can finish more of the back yard this afternoon.

It is sad to see the hollyhocks depleted like they now are, but August is upon us and this is a month of rest here in the desert.   Most plants can struggle through July, but for some reason, not August.   It is time for the soil to rest and time for me to start thinking about my fall planting.

I also picked up EVERY bowl of water for the dog and completely scrubbed each one!   Good thing Bodie stayed away....I might have scrubbed him, too.   Instead, he found an old cat food can and proudly ran all over the back yard with his "treasure".   He is now sound asleep at my feet as I type this!

More shenanigans tomorrow!

~~Cheryl Ann~~

My hollyhocks from this year.  Hubby applied a watercolor effect to them using Photoshop.   Bye, bye sweet flowers...until next Spring!

Hawks, hummingbirds, and doves

As you all know, we have a family of Coopers' hawks in our neighborhood.   I believe there are 2 juveniles and the mother.  She was much bigger than them, but they now all appear to be the same size.

How do I know this?   I know this because the last several days at least one of them has claimed our front yard as its territory!   It comes to visit our water bowls 2 or 3 times a day.   I often see it out front, just clutching the sides of one of the bowls and it will be there for 30-45 minutes, just gazing (glaring) around the yard.

Additionally, I found the...er...um...."remains" of a dove.   It apparently caught a dove and was EATING IT right in our front yard.   Ugh.   I went out and observed the carcass.   The next morning, about 5:30, I went out to feed the birds, and it was still there.   By 6 a.m., it was... GONE!  I did see the hawk swoop through the yard, so it must have come back to retrieve its meal from the previous afternoon.   AND, that was confirmed when I found the carcass in our BACK YARD under the large (now dead...) pine tree!   Yup.   There it was, on the ground under one of the branches.   Interesting...

I made a bird themed journal for the ranch owner because she breeds and raises and sells exotic birds and she has a roadrunner family on her property and she is constantly telling me funny stories about them.   They really are a hoot!  And, now she has a flock of turkey vultures that comes to visit.   (She throws out dead mice from the aviary several times a day and between the ravens, roadrunners, and vultures, they get rapidly devoured.)  She called me yesterday afternoon to let me know that everything is okay on the ranch.  (They were just over the hill from the Cranston fire).   They now have electricity and the horses ALL have water.   She did move Gigondas to another corral because that one has a 55 gallon drum of water, whereas her other one only had a small waterer.   She ended up buying 2 generators...one for the house and another one for her water pump, to keep it going.  She said in the 18 years she's been there, this fire came the closest to her ranch.   With 14 horses there, she wouldn't be able to evacuate more than 3, and they certainly wouldn't be mine...She has a stallion and several of her mares are worth some money.   Fortunately, there aren't too many trees around the horse corrals.

So, here we are at the END of July and I just checked the 10 day forecast and we have some nights down into the 70's here NEXT WEEK!   I'm so excited!   I CANNOT wait to plant my fall seeds, but I won't do that until the temps drop.

And, I sold 3 journals last week!  (photos below)...

Here are a couple of photos:

 The view of our valley from the Toro Peak webcam, looking north.   Yes, that is REAL RAIN!

 Cooper's hawk from a couple of years ago.   I haven't been able to get a clear shot this summer.

 This journal SOLD!

And this one SOLD!   YAY!   Plus, another smaller one...

~~Cheryl Ann~