My winter project this year is to put up shelving in the back room. The more I thought about the shelving, the more I realized that I wanted to paint the walls first. Our back room is white walls with a blue tile floor. I hate white walls, and M hates the blue tile floor… I’m not changing the tiles so…
After some deliberation, M and I decided on a light brown for the walls. The color scheme throughout the house seems to be Santa Fe adobe. Brown would fit right in!
I didn’t get a before photo but here is one with most of the furniture moved, in preparation of the painting.
First thing to do is cover the furniture and tape the edges of all the woodwork.
the taping process is tedious and not at all relaxing to my type-A mind, like I thought it would be.
Finally found a good use for the weird duct tapes that my dad bought me.
The previous owners fixed a the cracks between the main house and the back room addition by using some kind of flexible putty. No bueno… This is where I learned I’d need to plaster all the cracks and sand them down before painting. This added a day onto my plan.
Ghost, the cat we are watching for a month, really loved the ‘fort’ made by the tented furniture.
The actual painting process didn’t take too long. About 2.5 hours to do one coat. But then letting it dry for 24 hours, needing one coat of primer, plus two coats of paint, plus touch-ups took a week!
After one coat of color…. it was very patchy…
Final coloring is brownish-red, or adobe-colored
Once I take a breath, I’ll get started on the shelving part of the project. However, when you’re dealing with an old house, things tend to get in the way. Just this week, the bathroom faucet broke and a troublesome pipe burst outside. So we’ll see….
It has been a while since I’ve posted about my garden. Heres whats happening in the backyard.
My weedy-ass garden with carrots & tomatoes (TOMATOES ) still hanging in there.
My first carrot crop was a success. Now before you judge, remember its not the size thats important… these were small container carrots
After dying off in the heat of summer, the marigolds have rebounded
Last falls mums that i transplanted this spring are showy as ever
Multiple colors!
These look bad now, but apparently they’ll be awesome next fall!
I’m also looking to expand the garden & get rid of my containers. It’s just too hot for summer container crops.
The bare space on the left will mirror the right bed, with a stone walk between.
This is my winter bed-to-be. I put down cardboard to help kill the grass. Soon I’ll put a bed in & be able to grow winter spinach & stuff.
I just need for these gorgeous but sun-blocking leaves to go away so my winter garden can begin!
Garden helper #1
Garden helper #2… at least she eats pecans before they can sprout into trees
So there it is. My small but happy garden had a rough spring & summer but every year i learn something new. I hope for better things next year. And im definitely planting more little carrots!
We left the Redwoods and drove east, through the Shasta-Whiskeytown area. There was a wildfire close-by and we saw lots of burned areas….
Now is a great time to discuss all the unusual ways we could die on this trip.
Wildfire…
The guy next to me who kept his cell phone on the whole time we were flying… It was clear that he didn’t know how to use it. He kept putting it on “Airplane” to try and send a text. I guess “Airplane” mode to him means “safe way for dumbasses to send texts while 6 miles in the air!”
Falling through crusts and into thermal features
Tsunami! Japan’s gift to us
Elk rutting and going temporarily insane
But I digress… As we climbed to 5000 ft, where our campground was, it was significantly cooler than sea level/ sea adjacent. We set up our tent just before the sun went down, then went for a walk by Manzanita Lake.
Peekaboo!
Thought we’d left the fog…. but no
Colder… and rainy. Did I mention the rain? yeah, it rained most of our Lassen trip.
The next morning (after a very cold evening where I really seriously considered using the rental car’s butt warmers to stay alive, while M stated he was quite comfortable) we bundled up and decided to drive the park’s 21-mile main road over the pass and down to the visitor center, hiking along the way. The weather was foggy and cold but the park is very very pretty. Think of Yellowstone but WAY LESS CROWDED!
Looks like autumn has come to northern California, while in Carlsbad it was still triple-digits!
Cold selfie
M taking edge of the road pics
again with the autumnal gorgeousness
The brilliant engineers of this road decided to build it directly over a thermal feature. Great for people who demand to see everything from their vehicles but not so great for the road itself…
Bubbling mud pot
other side of road, more thermal stuff
Super-active pot is throwing boiling mud ONTO the signs for visitors to stand at and read
We took a hike up to a mountain lake. The 7,000 ft elevation was killing my lungs and I made it all but the last 10 minutes. M went on up without me. The lake wasn’t great so maybe I made the right decision to sit down on the trail and eat cashews.
M hiking amongst the huge gorgeous trees
Me, gasping for breath and taking in the beauty of everything
After our hike, we went down to the visitor center where I bought warmer clothing and checked the weather. They were calling for snow (SNOW!) that evening and the next day. I have a pretty serious No-Snow camping rule. So we decided to get a KOA cabin, with heat, a few thousand feet lower down and take it easy.
The rain didn’t stop M from making a campfire… It stayed lit for HOURS!
The weather wasn’t going to stop us from enjoying what we could of the park. The road was closed over the pass but we were able to drive about 10 miles of it. I bundled up super-warm (triple socks, multiple layers, rain poncho) and we took off.
In the sub-freezing winds…
More rain…
M bundled up to stand in the wind next to a glacial erratic. (for non-geology nerd, a glacial erratic is a big rock that isn’t where its supposed to be. It was deposited in a random spot by glaciers many eons ago)
This rocky area is called the Chaos Jumbles. Lassen has the most creative names.
Ah the rainy trails…
Ain’t nobody kayaking in this
We drove to another entrance to the park and hiked up to a cinder cone. I love cinder cones, rain or shine… I do NOT like hiking up them.
M suited up for the wind and rain, and not loving it
M hiking up to the cinder cone. Look at those footsprints!
The point where we both said “yeah, there it is” and turned around.
The trees up there make GIANT cones
Super-green moss
After our day of freezing cold and rain, we snuggled down in the cabin to read and relax. The next day the sun was out and the mountains were blanketed with snow! It was so glorious and I’m very happy we persevered and drove the road one last time before leaving.
What was a soggy meadow lake…Is actually a GLORIOUS mountain meadow
Happy sunny selfie
Look at that gorgeous Peak!
Snow on my boots for the first time this season.
cold bird
After our wonderful weather-ranging time at Lassen, it was time to head back to San Francisco. One stop before the big city… dinner with an old friend of mine. She lives in an urban hub outside San Fransisco/Oakland. We had a great dinner full of conversation and laughter. It was M’s first time to meet my friend, but he’s heard about her a lot over the years. It was great to reconnect!
When we left off last time, we were camping in Manchester. The drive ahead was to be less scenic as we’d have to leave the coast and head inland a bit to get north to Redwood National Park. We were both looking forward to hiking among some of the tallest trees in the world!
We got to the Redwoods after dark and the fog was setting in. The campground we were hoping to stay at was full, but it was Friday night so I guess we had that coming. There was another campground, Mill Creek, several miles up the road. I was apprehensive at first due to its being several miles off the main road and the fact that the ranger said “of course there will be sites at that campground…”. Hmmm… BUT, when we got there it was wonderful! It was almost 1000 feet down the side of a mountain, in a hollow, and full of greenery. Away from the road traffic and each site was very private. I highly recommend Mill Creek. We were close enough to Crescent City to stop by each morning and evening for meals. Fancy camping!
The next morning we woke up, and got ready for a day of hiking. Only problem was that the main road through the park was CLOSED for a half marathon…. No wonder the campground was full! The couple next to us was screaming at the poor park ranger at the desk (I’ve been there…) but M and I rolled with the punches. We quickly changed our plans and took off. No matter where you go, its gorgeous.
Foggy Redwoods sunset
The main highway through the park
Looking down onto where the Klamath River meets the Pacific. We could hear seals or sea lions barking beneath us but couldn’t see them
We took a drive down to Gold Bluff Beach and hiked into Fern Canyon. It was a perfectly gorgeous short and easy hike!
M crossing the creek in Fern Canyon
Playing in the shower – Photo by M
a fern doorway
After the hike, we headed to the beach to chill and watch the waves again. This time, instead of whales, I saw sea lions AND elk! My first wild sea lions, or seals, whatever they were, it was awesome!
Seal! or Sea Lion!
Elk at the beach!
We went for hikes and saw lots of big big trees!
REALLY TALL TREES
My first Banana Slug! (thats not my hand). M swears that this is ‘a small one’…
M standing inside a big tree
We even went inside of a tree..
We stopped at every beach overlook we possibly could. We were only spending 2 full days at Redwood before driving over the Cascades and into Lassen Volcanic National Park. Being the desert rats that we are, we wanted to soak up every bit of Pacific Coast goodness before we drove away.
Foggy Awesome Beach #1
Foggy Awesome Beach #2
This beach we drove by each day on our way to and from the restaurant. Our last evening we caught the most amazing sunset and I just had to video the waves.
Our last morning, on our way to breakfast, we were greeted by this gorgeousness!
Before we left the coast, we spent an afternoon in Arcata with some friends who had just moved out there from New Mexico. Got to hang with them at the coolest Information Center (they served beer and wine) a city could ever have, and walked with them and their twin toddlers along the Eureka bayfront. They took us to a great ice cream shop that had fun weird flavors. I think mine was Blueberry Pancake?
The next morning we were up nice and early, breaking camp, and heading to Lassen. The Redwoods were an incredible place. Very dark and dank in the old growth forest. Very chilly and gorgeous coastlines. M and I have already decided to head back one day. My memories of this part of the trip will always have this image….
After a fantastic day of walking 9 miles around the very hilly San Francisco, we rented a car and hit the coastal highway! First I’ll say that driving a rental car through urban San Fran is a bit stressful but I’m from Houston so I eased into it pretty well.
The necessary bridge and fog image…. The fog rolled into SF just as we were leaving, hopefully signaling an end to their “heat wave”… um 80s and 90s.
Tried my new phone’s panorama feature… its a bit smushed
Golden Gate Bridge Selfie!
The bridge brings out the weird in people
Once we made it out of the city, we immediately hit the winding US Highway 1 that we were expecting. A small 2-lane highway that is arguably the prettiest road ever….
First stop along our route was Muir Woods National Monument. I’d been here briefly back in high school. My mom and I went to Oakland for a national twirling competition and she bravely rented a car and drove me and 2 of my craziest friends around San Fran for a day.
18-year old me and my mom in the Muir WoodsTaken by Liz – This was our view from the BART ferry crossing the harbor, back in the mid-90s
Back to 2015…
Muir Woods is a small stand of Coastal Sequoia tress. There’s a walk that goes around the woods. There’s also a cafe. Its a great small stop. I didn’t get a lot of photos of the trees themselves. It was dark and there were lots of people around.
I did however hug a coastal redwood or sequoia – pic by M
Love Their Humor!
This tree sprouted in 900AD… It fell in the 1930s, i think
After spending some time communing with nature after 2 days in the bustling city, we headed back on the road towards Point Reyes National Seashore. Everyone told to most definitely see the Lighthouse… but we didn’t have time. We were trying to get to Manchester Beach by evening.
Instead, we hung out on Limantour Beach for a while and had a fantastic time! It was the first time I’d been to the beach in a very very long time… Maybe since 2009? For someone who grew up on the water, that’s a lifetime! I even took videos of the massive Pacific waves.
Happy beachgoers
We head up the coast a bit further, loving the views of the water, the fog, and the rolling hills. Lots of cute small towns with small sea-side communities.
When we got near Bodega Bay and there were pull-outs on the cliffs above the water. This was exactly what M and I were hoping to see. The weather was gorgeous and this little cove, Arch Rock Beach, was simply the perfect place.
Bodega Bay selfie
M getting his photos
Of course, M climbed down the cliff to get pictures from the beach….
And while innocently standing on this bluff, I saw my very first ever WHALE! I spent a while watching as a pod of whales moved north out in the water. Every now and then there’d be a little water spout in the distance, or a whale spine would peek out of the water. The locals told us that September isn’t whale-watching season but with climate change warming the waters to the north, more and more whales were moving north for winter. So weird, but perfect for me to see my first large mammal. I even tried taking photos….
(Incidentally, Bodega Bay was the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Birds”. )
After jumping around like crazed tourists with a strange lady who was also seeing a whale for the first time, M and I got back in the car and continued north. We got to our KOA at Manchester Beach before sunset and decided to walk down the lane to the state park that runs along the water there. There was fog and weird structures built on the sand. It was surreal as the sun set.
the dune trail to get down to the beach – M’s picture
Never seen fog coming onto the beach before
weird bottom-of-the-ocean plants that are 7-8 feet long!
just chilling and taking it all in – picture by M
M enjoying the sunset
spooky looking structures that beachgoers build using driftwood and plants
M playing with the ocean plants
Sunset!
After spending a surreal hour at the beach, we walked back to our cabin and made a fire in the fog. It was a nice way to wind down after the day. We listened to the roar of the ocean and heard little else. Our little KOA cabin was the perfect blend of camping and staying in a motel. We had a porch, a almost-working heater, and a cot to put our sleeping bags on. We fell asleep knowing that the next day we’d be driving along the ocean again and reaching Redwood National Park before dark, hopefully.
M & I are in San Francisco! We’ve spent the day sight-seeing, and now we are exhausted.
We got into town yesterday afternoon, and after chilling a bit in our very cool hotel, found the best Indian /Nepalese food. It was so yummy, we are going back tonight.
So here is our day in pictures…
Watched a building demolition Loving the architecture Loving our hotels' architecture
We walked down to San Francisco Maritime National Historic Site & along the water to Fishermans Wharf.
Looking up Hyde Street
Yummy breads in funny shapes Alcatraz Super-cute sea lionsLooking down Greenwich Street
We hiked up to Coit Tower, known for its amazing views.
Right behind me are a bunch of people doing yoga and being filmed
Then we hitched a ride on an overpriced trolley to Chinatown.. (note to future tourists… don’t take the trolley unless you’re in it for the novelty)
Kinda creepy mural The famous Dragon Gate
After all this walking, we were tired & decided to head back to our awesome hotel. It was uphill & sunny most of the way. Yuck!
Checked my fitbit just now… we walked 8 miles. That’s more than most of the trails we plan to hike when we get to the “hiking” portion of the trip!
Ok – I realize I’ve kinda fallen off the face of the earth and haven’t been on here in 5 months…. Sorry…. My body has been fucking me over and, while not in a depression, I have been super-pre-occupied with the daily grind and all that goes with it.
Having said that, we are planning another trip and its coming up soon! At the beginning of the summer (thats in April down here in Southern New Mexico...) we decided that our first anniversary trip should be someplace awesome and our first thought was – Glacier National Park!
All the pictures we saw as we researched the trip were amazing, and we couldn’t wait to go! Glacier’s Instagram game is ON POINT! Check it out…
So after conferring with a colleague who worked at Glacier, we knew exactly where to stay. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. They were completely booked! So Glacier is on the back burner for next fall and we’ll get reservations ASAP!
So after a short list of amazing places we want to go, we have chosen a road trip up the California Coast! The plan is not-at-all simple. Fly into San Francisco, bum around town a few days eating all the Indian food we can find and soaking up some city livin’, then rent a car and head north, zig-zagging along the coast, stopping in cool little towns and camping, until we hit Redwoods National Park, visit with friends and hike a few days, commune with the sea and the trees, then drive inland to Lassen Volcanic National Park, camp and hike a few days, commune with the sulfur-spewing and sulfur-bubbling pits, then down a gross interstate to see an old friend, more yummy food, then back to San Francisco and home to Carlsbad via El Paso! Whew! in 10 days…
Honestly, after M proposed, M second thought was ‘where should we honeymoon?!’ This is what a wanderlust-infused person does. Based on the weather in early spring, we had to rule out a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, Southern Utah, and the Pacific Northwest. Based on time constraints, we ruled out Hawaii. Somehow we settled on Death Valley National Park. Neither of us had ever been there and February is a fantastic time to go.
We also decided to stop off at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the way. I wanted to see the museum in the visitor center that I helped create, plus they just opened up the 50% of the monument’s land that had been closed for a decade. I was excited to be able to enjoy ALL of my public land.
M had never been to the Sonoran Desert and I was excited to show him the greenest desert in North America. (we did later figure out that on this trip we’d hit all four North American deserts… Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave, and the Great Basin!)
Hanging with some of my favorite cacti! – photo by M
lunching in the Sonoran Desert – photo by M
M’s first carpet shoe! – photo by M
Sonoran Desert happiness! – photo by M
Me next to a marker for the Ajo Mtn Drive. I wrote the guide book for it! – photo by M
He’d also never seen the US-Mexico border fence other than in El Paso. The border fence out in the desert is very very different….
M and the border fence/vehicle barrier…. the long long gravel road is there for Border Patrol to use
The border fence isn’t ACTUALLY the border. Its all on our side. This marker is ACTUALLY the border.
We weren’t camping on this trip. Wanted to fancy it up for our honeymoon. Of course, fancy is a relative term in Ajo, AZ. It’s a great quirky little desert town and has exactly 2 motels… We reserved a deluxe room with a kitchen. This is what we got….
Its a single-wide trailer behind the main motel! Love it!
Relaxing on the porch
Fantastic Sonoran sunrises!
After a wonderful visit to Organ Pipe, we headed north to Death Valley. We didn’t even realize until we were only an hour away that we’d be driving right by the Hoover Dam. So we touristed up and stopped for a quick visit. And of course, I got my Lake Mead passport stamp. 🙂
Hoover Dam!
you walk along the edge of the highway bridge to look down onto Hoover Dam
M getting his shot
Some people wait in line to drive across the bridge… this requires security going through your car
World’s most unnerving office space
Then we hit Death Valley! There were canyons to hike, sand dunes to climb, waterfalls to splash in, old mining towns to wander around, and the most amazing vistas to take in! We didn’t camp here, either. We sprung for a hotel room at Furnace Creek Ranch, overlooking the golf course.
first sunset in Death Valley! – photo by M
Mosaic Canyon!
– photo by M
– photo by M
M hiking into Mosaic Canyon
M doing his best mountain goat impression… see him way up on the right?
M hiking the sand dunes
– photo by M
life finds a way
All photographers love sunrise at 20 Mule Team Canyon!
M getting another gorgeous shot highlighting the amazing geology
M communing with nature on a salt flat
Darwin Falls… a gem in the desert!
– photo by M
Another mountain goat impression…
really really straight roads across the valleys
Old mine
creepy creepy mines… Closed in winter to protect bat populations but open other times for hiking!
all kinds of minerals were mined out of these mountains
old mining town
Old mine
home is where the heart is… or where the stupid graffiti is
linoleum flooring way out here in desert ruins
– photo by M
view from our hotel. there is snow! – photo by M
– photo by M
The last two days at Death Valley, we got to experience another great part of the desert…. rain and snow!
Gorgeous sunrise view from Dante’s Peak!
M enjoying the view
– photo by M
Arty goodness! – photo by M
More arty goodness! – photo by M
We headed north, planning to hike Ubehebe Crater and enjoy some wildflowers after we gassed up at Scotty’s Castle, like my map indicated. However, my map was wrong and we almost ran out of gas. We made the most of our visit and wandered around Scotty’s Castle.
Since the weather was less than ideal for canyon hiking, we decided to hit up a lot of smaller hikes.
Salt Creek Interpretive Boardwalk
Devil’s Golf Course… Awesome!
Huge salt flats area
salt upheaval?
sprained ankles and broken legs are common here…. we can see why
– photo by M
Next up was Badwater…
Badwater Basin… the lowest spot in North America
About halfway up the cliff is a small sign that reads “Sea Level”. Its the best and most simple interpretive sign I’ve ever seen.
Also, I’m not allowed to post the image of M in a yoga pose in the middle of the salt flat, but I’m sure you can use your imagination! The unearthly landscape was making all the visitors a bit child-like. We saw so many people doing funny things for cameras.
Me making a “salt angel” – photo by M
teeny tiny salt crystals
M getting his shot of the tiny salt crystals
More awesome moody lighting….
Gorgeous sunlight hitting the valley and also lighting up the snow-capped peaks… Its hard to tell but the vertical difference here is about 8,000 ft!
We visited the Furnace Creek Golf Course for my parents. My dad has nothing but bad things to say about Death Valley. (he visited waaaaaaay back when he was in the army and I’m sure just passed through to get to Vegas) They love golf so I felt I had to share a few photos. I also had to pick up a score card for the course. I’m not a golfer so I’m not sure why, but it was asked for.
– photo by M
The park was running a hiking challenge, where you had to take selfies at the different trails to prove that you did the hike and you’d get a sticker. So here are our selfies….
Mosaic Canyon selfie
Harmony Borax Works selfie
Sand Dunes selfie
Eureka Mine selfie
Salt Creek selfie
After we left Death Valley, we realized that we were so very close to Mojave National Preserve. Neither of us had been there either so we decided to drive through on our way to the interstate. It ended up being way prettier than we had thought. (but honestly, what NPS site isn’t?) It was pretty rainy and foggy for most of the drive through, but the sun peeked out at the dunes so we decided to stop for a quick walk!
M at the Kelso Dunes
We spent that evening in Flagstaff, in a snow storm, and managed to make it home the next day on icy roads. It was an amazing trip! We aren’t planning a trip back yet, but we are looking forward to a return visit!
Sidenote: the food…. The food was fantastic! We had Indian food in El Paso and Flagstaff. We kind of planned our Indian food fixes into the trip. (if there was an Indian restaurant in Carlsbad, we’d be fat and broke!) We found a great Mexican place in Tucson, and in Death Valley I managed to eat a veggie burger at almost every restaurant! M ate a lot of bunless burgers. By far, my favorite spot was a Panamint Springs. Very laid back porch desert dining. I spent a lot of time Yelping all the spots we ate at.
Ok – so I’d mentioned back in October that I had some possible projects to pursue….
Future possible projects:
Screen, and re-screen, all the windows so we can enjoy a bug-free airy space Install new faucets in both bathrooms – this one may be un-attainable Install new light in currently pitch dark closet – again, un-attainable… Add baseboards to all rooms – this really should have happened before I moved all of my furniture in…. Garage sale Random cleaning/clearing of closets and cabinets Continued gardening
Its been 4 months and I’ve continued gardening and continued the random cleaning of closets and cabinets. The other listed projects…. not so much. This is apparently my honey-do list, but one I’ve written myself. In my defense, I’ve had 3 family holidays, one 10-day honeymoon, one wedding reception out of town, and many many icy gross days. I’ve also managed to embark on a new shelving project. So, my list is growing but I’m not deleting anything yet. You guys keep me honest!
Oh! ps – i STILL have unpacked boxes… It’s been a year since I moved in. That needs to go on my list.
Remember the big-ass bag of seeds I got last fall from my friend D?She will now be known as my “Seed Benefactor”, and my SB has sent me another bag of seeds. This one isn’t as big, but it specializes in indoor container crops. Basil, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, chard….
High Rises to Hiking Boots 