It's Tea Time

Thanks to Vanessa for hosting this!  To see all the party posts, click on the badge on the right.  Now...

"Oh, I say, March Hare, good to see you here!  Have you seen Cheshire?  

"Yes, White Rabbit, he's up in the trees.  I've seen other magical folk, too."

"March, I hope the Fae Folk behave themselves.  You know how they can be sometimes."  "Oh, I don't know about that, WR.  Some of them are quite charming." 

"Well, we'd best get on.  Tea party is waiting..." 

"Hi, I'm Fay Bunn!  Follow me, the rabbit always gets lost...'cause he won't listen to me."

"Hello, I'm Alice.  What.  You didn't know I'm actually a Faery?  Well.  I'm from Storyland, I can be anything I want to be.  But as Alice, I'm 149 years old!  Trust me, I look way better as a Faery.  And, trust me on this, too: If something has a label that says 'Eat Me' or 'Drink Me' don't touch it!  The tea party is just round there...but don't tell Fay you could find it without her.  She has such fun at these parties."

"Right here, right this way!  I'm sure the human will be along shortly." 

Hey, I'm so glad you're here, welcome!  I've lots of treats for you... 

Lavender wine in Faery goblets...

Scrumptious lemon cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with raspberry jam filling, a strawberry-mocha-chocolate cake, carrot cake (my favorite), two kinds of tea and delicious chocolates with a cream center. 

Wait a minute...this teapot had chocolates all around it.  Who...? 

Fay!!  "Well, you should have kept your eye on me, I mean them.  You know I can't, I just can't, can't, can't resist chocolates!" 

Well, I apologize.  No chocolates.  Who would like a cup of tea? 

"ME!  Fill 'er up, I wanna soak my paws.  All this directing has given me sore tootsies!"  (Don't worry, I washed the cup...now on with the party).

The roses are starting to sparkle...a sure sign that the evening faeries are around. 

And it's getting dark.  There goes little Fay, probably off to some other party.

Thank you so much for coming!  A very happy unbirthday to everyone!  Oh...I never did see the Mad Hatter, did you?  Or the White Rabbit...

"I say, where is everyone?  Oh my ears and whiskers, I'm late again!" 

"Poor White Rabbit, he's always late.  But, I'm sure Glenda the Good Witch will see that the little fellow gets his tea and cake!  I know, different story.  But hey, I'm La Luna...and perhaps other folk, too.  Look up tonight...I'm full...and I shine the same light on each and every one of you."

There's Going to be a Tea Party...

In Blogland this Saturday!  There will be lots of parties to attend (including mine).  You can find the complete list over at A Fanciful Twist (click on the badge over on the right of my sidebar)...hope to see you on Saturday!

Wednesday's Winding Road

I had pulled into a turnout to take this photo at twilight because this is one  curve where one really wants both hands on the wheel.  Then I looked up and saw ...

The moon, balancing on the branch of an enormous pine tree and looking down at me.

A Quote for Monday

Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for one day.  Teach a man to fish and you'll have the whole weekend to hang out with your girlfriends!

You can quote me... :-)

Wednesday's Winding Road

A couple of portions of Highway 18 winding its way up the sides of the San Bernardino mountains.  Look closely, you'll see the tiny cars.  This was taken in May of 2009. 

A closer look.  In the middle right of the photo you can see how the bridge makes a loop like half of an eight laying on its side.  If you take the bridge, you're on Highway 138 and will eventually wind up in Crestline. 

These photos were taken from around 4,000 feet in elevation, and the highest peak in the background in Mount San Jacinto, 10,834 high (3,302 m).

A Quote for Monday

"There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds."  Gilbert K. Chesterton 

I took this photo on August 22, 2012, at a little after 8 p.m.  It was dark down in my little valley, but the sun was lighting up these cumulonimbus clouds boiling up behind the ridge in a spectacular fashion! 

Sunday Sunsets

Sorry about the copyright thing, but I found out someone has been stealing photos directly from my blog.  I checked for the photo in question on Pinterest, thinking someone may have gotten it from there, but the photo isn't on Pinterest.  I don't mind folks pinning my photos to Pinterest, because Pinterest provides a direct link back to the source of the photo on my blog, where I'm very clear that my photos are copywrited and may not be used without my permission.  How did I find out the photo had been stolen?  I saw the photo on the cover of a local publication!  The editor, a friend, was horrified.  Fortunately, he had not given credit to the "author" of the photo yet, so that's all right.

Faeries Friday - Faery Gardeners

Out for a walk today, I stopped in the shade to rest a bit.  There are always ferns growing in this spot, and it's always cooler than the surrounding shady areas.  I think this is because there's a little spring under the ferns.  In wet years (I think I faintly remember those) it flows enough to fill a little pond.  The pond has been dry for several years now, but things are always so much greener in this spot that I know the water is still there...somewhere.  Anyway, that's what I thought until today.

I looked away for a minute, then something made me look back...this is what I saw....

Perhaps it's not the water.  Perhaps this spot is always greener and cooler because it's being tended by faeries!

Wednesday's Winding Road

A little lane winding among the cedars and dogwoods deep in the San Bernardino mountains.  It doesn't show in this photo, but there's a little creek, a rivulet really, about twelve inches wide and usually no more than ankle deep, that runs along the right side of the road.  Its voice, full of burbles and splashes, makes a nice companion when you're out for a walk on a warm summer's day.  Around the bend, and a ways on, there's a rock that's perfectly shaped and placed for sitting and cooling your feet in the cold water while you listen to the songs of the birds and watch the spangles of light dance through the forest. 

International Faeries Day

                                           (image by XueDuan)

It's International Faeries Day and I almost forgot!  Although...looking around the Internet I found few references to it.  The most informative one at www.faemagazine.com  said that its a day to celebrate the Fae folk and let them know you believe in them.  No mention of how to do this, but I suppose if you believe in Faeries you'll have enough imagination to figure it out...

I just walked out into the forest with a bowl of honey, set it down and said, "Happy Faeries Day, Faeries...I believe in you!"  I just hope Mrs. Rose and the raccoons leave enough for the fae folk, or vice-versa.  I'm really hoping the raccoons don't get it all.  That's the last thing I need, a bunch of rowdy raccoons on a suger rush high!

Good thing there was no one close enough to hear me talking to the Faeries...;-)

A Quote for Monday

"A flower's appeal is in its contradictions; so delicate in form yet so strong in fragrance, so small in size, yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect."  Adabella Ridici 

These are tiny little wildflowers that bloom all over the roadsides in great masses up here in June.  Their blooms are minuscule, usually no bigger than one quarter of an inch in diameter.  But, up close, oh!  Splendid Gilia really deserves its name.

Sunday Sunlight ~ After Solstice Sparkles

Sun sparkles on the waters of Lake Gregory in the San Bernardino mountains of California, the day after the Summer Solstice.  In the Northern Hemisphere the days get shorter from now until the Winter Solstice, when they start to lengthen.  In the Southern Hemisphere, the days are starting to get longer.

Happy Summer Solstice!

However you celebrate it, have a happy one!

Wednesday's Winding Road

This was taken in an area above Highway 18, right before you get to the Twin Peaks turnoff, that is called Skyland.  It's full of little twisty, turning lanes and tiny little cabins.  It used to be rather magical...sadly, most of it has become rather run-down.  So many of the cute little cabins and cottages that used to be vacation homes have been turned into rentals and, while some of the renters do take good care of the places they rent, it seems that nowadays there is a different class of renters who just don't care.  The area in the photo is one of the few that hasn't lost its magic...I'll have to take another, longer drive around in there and see if I can't find other places that haven't lost their magic.

The Moon Eagle

I meant to post this before now, but ... you know ...  Anyway, I took this March 13th of this year, in the late afternoon.  It's a Bald Eagle, but I didn't know that until I cropped the photo.  I hope you can tell it's a Bald Eagle...if you look closely you can see the white of its tail and a bit of its white head. (Click to enlarge the photo). Even though its not all that clear, and very grainy after I got done with the cropping, I was thrilled to get a photo of an eagle soaring over my cottage with the clouds and the moon, too!

Wednesday's Winding Road

Still a lot of dirt roads up here.  They usually start out looking pretty navigable, but if you don't have a four-wheel drive, chances are good you'll get stuck pretty quickly.  And cell phones rarely work up here...

Sunday Sunsets

Taken in July of 2007 at Lake Gregory in the San Bernardino mountain range.  If you look closely, you can just see the top of Mount Baldy (elevation 10,068 feet) in the San Gabriel mountain range peeking over the tree line in the center of the photo.  Actually, the proper name is Mount San Antonio, but everybody calls it Mount Baldy.  It's in Los Angeles County.

Thursday Night's Moon

From far away...

A little closer... 

Close!  (Well, as close as I could zoom in without using a tripod).  I meant to post this Thursday night after I got back from my walk, but it slipped my mind.  This mind-slipping thing happens with distressing regularity nowadays, darn it!

Wednesday's Winding Road

Taken in down in the Valley of Enchantment near Crestline in April of 2005.

Meet Alyce Eloise

She came to us last September, a little six week old pastel calico.  She hasn't really gotten much bigger than she is in this photo.  We call her our miniature kitty. She was a little nervous about the camera at first.  "What is that big, black, shiny round thing you're pointing at me?  Is it hungry?!"

But, she got used to it.  She's very sweet and is beloved by her bigger 'siblings.'  (They're not from the same litter). 

She can be a little opinionated at times... "This is my saucer, and I'm not moving!"

But, she always wins us over with her sweet face and her little kitty kisses.

A Quote for Monday

"We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do."  Barbara Ward