A Quote for Monday

If they breathe, they live...

If they live, they feel...

If they feel, they love...

If they love, they are aware...

If they are aware, they have a soul.  ~~ Anthony Douglas Williams

Sunday Sunsets

A tiny portion of one of the west end bays of Big Bear Lake.  The fish were jumping up for their sunset dinner of bugs.  Try as I might (I think I took about sixty photos) I couldn't capture a fish with my camera, just the rings they left as they re-entered the water.

A Word from Pumpkin

"Hey! It's World Cat Day!  Go be kind to a cat, or lots of them. And, while you're at it, rescue some dogs, too.  I can't believe it's the 21st century and there are still homeless pets!  Well, go on, what are you waiting for!?" 

Faeries Friday

A Faery cottage...

Taken just as she was going in the door...or coming out.  It's hard to tell because there was so much Faery dust in the air!  ;)

Papilio

This butterfly, a pale swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon), is common in these mountains.  They look like the also-common western swallowtail except they're white and black instead of yellow and black.  You can't really tell from this photo, but this one is about as big as they get - 4 to 5 inches across.

Birds tend to leave them alone; their markings tell the birds that they have a terrible taste.

They're such a beautiful gift from nature, I can't help oohing and aahing every time I see one, and it's even better when they stay still long enough for me to get a photo!

Wednesday's Winding Road - With a View

Looking north -

Looking south -

Looking west to Lake Arrowhead -

Zooming in a little, we see a boat on the lake -

Zooming in a lot, we see the water skier!  (Blurry on purpose...I always hope people who may be photographing me and mine unawares will blur us, too). 

A Quote for Monday

There are times when we stop, we sit still.  We listen and breezes from a whole other world start to whisper.  James Carroll

Sunday Sunsets

Success!  I've been trying to post photos for the last two days...finally, I switched browsers.  I hope this works, and doesn't mess up the rest of my blog...

Happy Birthday...

Miss Potter!  She'd be 149 if she were alive today, but since no human lives to be 149, I'll just send good wishes to her where ever she is.  My early childhood was enriched because of her books (and many others) but today is her day.

I've been reading, in between other books, "Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life."  It's pretty interesting.

Ms. MCDowell makes me feel as if I knew Beatrix Potter and her surroundings firsthand. 

It has lots of illustrations and quotations from Miss Potter's letters, books and journals.

The bunnies are reading, I'm sure, her other books.  Theirs is a magical book only bunnies can read and they (meanly) won't tell me what it is they're reading.  But, I can guess that right now the story of choice is "The Tale of Two Bad Mice"  because...they don't know I understand the Ceramic Rabbit language! ;D

Sunday Sunsets

A Coyote Encounter

I saw this beautiful coyote while I was out for a walk on Wednesday.  I've seen them before in this spot - I think they must like it as it has a good view of the mountain side across the way and the bottom of the valley.  This is the first time a photo came out this well, though.  Usually they're rather blurry because the coyotes don't hold still as long as this one did.  He or she took their time looking around, even looking me right in the eye once.  Then she or he turned and, as quick as a blink, was gone. 

One Word Wednesday - Rays

A Quote for Monday

This isn't my photo, I found it on Pinterest.  It gave me a laugh, I hope it gives you one, too!

Sunday Sunsets and Gratitude

I took this photo in 2006 at Lake Gregory.  We couldn't see the sunset, either yesterday or today, because of the RAIN!  Yes, it rained lightly yesterday, then this morning was clear.  I was grateful for the bit of rain yesterday, wished it were more, but thought the storm had moved on out to sea.  Happily, oh SO happily, I was wrong.  The clouds came back around noon and, at 3:20 p.m., they started pouring down the rain.  It was a real old-fashioned California cloud burst.  Every place in these mountains got over an inch and a half of rain, some places received over two inches!  There was a bit of thunder and lightening to go with the rain, but no fires were started because it was raining so hard!  And, it continued for one hour and two minutes...precisely.  When it abruptly stopped, it was like some celestial being had turned off the tap.  This doesn't mean the drought and fire season is over yet, but at least all the lakes up here have more water in them to be used to fight fires.  I'm hoping this is just the prelude to a very wet, very early rainy season!

Faeries Friday - Napping

A Quote for Thursday

Some days are better, some days are worse.  Look for the blessing instead of the curse. ~~ Anon

Mama and Babies

I took this down at Lake Gregory last week.  This mallard mama had nine babies, and she looks so proud! 

A Quote for Monday

Summer is the time when one sheds ones tensions...and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. ~ A.L. Huxtable

A Quote for Monday

There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away. ~~ Emily Dickinson

Sunday Sunlight - Reflections

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

That's the Arrowhead Queen in the photo.  It's a paddleboat that makes hourly tours of Lake Arrowhead.  Since Lake Arrowhead is a completely private lake, it's a nice way for tourists to see the lake.  Well, I guess it's a nice way...I've never been on it, and I just realized I don't even know anyone who's been on it.  But, it seems to be popular during summer weekends, so I guess it must be fun! 

Some

It's been cloudy for the past week and a half...we even got some tiny smidgens of rain here and there.  The clouds did let me have a brief glimpse of the moon, happily, before they covered her up again.  I was hoping the clouds would really pour down rain up here, especially on the Lake Fire, which is still burning, but no such luck.  Ah well, "Alcuni sono meglio di niente" (some is better than none), as my Italian Nonna used to say.

Happy July

I hope this is a great month for everyone!