Hello

Hi everyone! It's been a while hasn't it?!

I hope you all had a great summer. Ours was pretty low key but we did go to Yosemite which was wonderful. I have a bunch of pictures from our trip and our summer but I'll most likely just move forward with the here and now and not get overwhelmed with feeling like I have to play catch up.

Last Sunday we visited my sister and it was a perfect Fall day with crisp air and breezes a blowin'. The kids fed the goats and we went on a nice walk while my Mom had alone time with my sister. It's so refreshing to be somewhere else even if it's just for the day.

I'm so happy summer is over...I find I'm much more creative and inspired in Fall and Winter. You may have noticed that I made a new header for my blog and I also had a few other projects I worked on recently. For the last year or so I haven't been able to pursue many of my hobbies because of my very active and destructive little Maggie. It's been hard but I feel like we may be starting to get over that phase. Maybe. It's actually been kind of good for me though because it forced me to find other things to fill my time.

I'm also excited for it to cool off so the kids and I can resume our weekend hikes. I just can't do it in the heat especially carrying Maggie on my back. Being outside is so important to me and it's the main thing that keeps me sane throughout the week.

Well, it's good to be back! I often think about how awesome this blog has been for me and all the friends I've met through it and how thankful I am to have some people reading along. Thank you for coming here!

♥ anne

Local Plants Part II

It's time for the next installment of local flora. All photos of plants in this post (with the exception of the passionflower) were taken in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa and most of these grow in the Talbert Nature Preserve.

Sticky Monkeyflower (Bush Monkeyflower)

Turkey-tangle Frog-fruit (Garden Lippia)

I'm pretty certain this little beauty is Southern Tarplant which is a native, rare endangered species.

Small Horseweed

Peruvian Pepper Tree

Albizia, plume acacia, Stink Bean (not native)


Toyon (California Holly)

Passionflower

Blue Elderberry

Pampas Grass (not native and invasive)

Tall Flatsedge

I'm really enjoying this ongoing project and as I type I hear a hawk calling outside which is make me eager to get out there and take a walk. Speaking of birds, I might as well post a few pictures that I recently took at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine.

Black-necked Stilt

Cooper's Hawk


Great Blue Heron

Dragonfly

I hope you enjoyed this post! You can read Part I here.

♥ anne

Chloride, AZ.

We recently visited Chloride, AZ. on our way home from a weekend in Bullhead City. My mom had heard about Roy Purcell's murals and thought it would be fun to go check them out. I'm so happy we made the trip, not only were the murals really cool but the small town of Chloride totally stole my heart!


To get the murals you have to drive through town and out down a dirt road. There are all sorts of cactus and wildflowers along the way and a bumpy road that the kids enjoyed.


The murals were painted in 1966 and they were so colorful and pretty! It turns out the morning is nice time to visit because it's cooler but the sun was rising and shining on them which made it difficult to photograph. Next time we visit I'll wait until late afternoon to take pictures.


I'll be listing that purple kaftan I'm wearing in my shop this week. I thought this location would be the perfect place to model it.


As we headed back to town I spotted several juniper trees and made my mom stop so I could cut some to bring home. The smell is heavenly and we got home I made a couple smudge sticks with my clippings.


I also managed to snap a few pictures of some local birds. A couple roadrunners and my absolute favorite, quails! They are quick and wanted nothing to do with me. They had all their little babies scurrying behind them, a sight that makes me squeal with delight!



There are wonderful old buildings and homes along the main street and what appeared to be some fun shops. It was early in the morning so nothing was open yet but I'm sure I would have found many treasures in the Cactus Cowboy antique store.


We walked across the street to check out Digger Dave's and were greeted by friendly Dave and couple other locals.


The bar/cafe was just opening and Dave made us feel right at home. He got the kids an ice cream and my mom and I an ice cold beer. We sat down and Dave came over to the jukebox and put on "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin. He said the song was dedicated to a new woman in his life, a beautiful blonde who had bought the lot next door. He knew they were meant to be together when he first shook her hand and looked in her eyes. He was filled with love for her and it showed. My mom and I were so moved by his sweet words that she started crying and I was tearing up as he walked away.



We could have sat there all day listening to the jukebox (which was filled with the best music) and drinking beer but unfortunately we had to get going. After all, we had three rowdy kids with us which meant one beer only and leaving before they got too wild. I will definitely be returning to this gem of a town and next time Ruben will be with me.


So, if you're ever driving through Arizona and love dusty old mining towns and amazing bars like Digger Dave's then you need to stop off in Chloride!

♥ anne

Local Plants

I'm on a mission to learn as much as possible about the plants, birds, wildflowers, weeds, animals and so forth in my area. I've been compiling some photos from my walks around my home so that I can sit down and finally identify some of these plants and flowers. I realize this might not be overly interesting to some but I find it fascinating and I think it's about time I know all about my surroundings.

So now I will introduce you to some of my new friends...

These first two pictures are of White Sweetclover.

Alkali Heliotrope

Sweet Fennel

Poison Hemlock

Alkali Mallow

Laurel Sumac

Black Willow / Godding's Willow

Thistle

Wild Radish

Ngaio tree / Lollypop tree

Hooker's Evening Primrose

Prickly Pear

Castor Bean- the source of castor oil and ricin, which is deadly.

I have several that I've yet to identify and many that I still need to photograph but I think I'm off to a good start. Since I'll be home most of the summer I think this will be a great way to pass the time and educate myself and the kids. I hope you enjoyed this because there will be more to come in the following weeks.

If I misidentified any of these feel free to correct me! You can read Part II here.

♥ anne