California

There are a lot of typical California things that have become second nature to me after nearly 5 years of living here: people lose all common sense when driving through a parking lot, grocery carts are never put back in the cart corral, the smell of eucalyptus that hits you immediately when you step outside at SFO, and the surrounding hillside landscape has become so familiar, so home-y that I am so happy to see the hills after a vacation to tell me that I am home. It's a nice feeling, you know? 

Yesterday however the hillside that I see every day, sing a song about every time we crest the hill into Lafayette since the first time I came to the East Bay to look for a place to live prior to moving out here - Mt. Diablo - started on fire. You could see the smoke billowing from behind the backside of Mt. Diablo. I know that the fire danger in California is always high, especially after nearly 2 years of very little rain, but when you see/smell the smoke it suddenly becomes so real, so scary. 

I pray for the 75 families that have been evacuated and all the fire fighters taking care of the fire on the treacherous and rocky hillsides. I can't even imagine or muster one ounce of the bravery they show every day on the job. Thank you fire fighters, thank you. 

hello? hello?

Pardon the radio silence, but I'm back. Hopefully you haven't missed me too much, or rather, hopefuly you weren't enjoying the silence and now I've ruined it by blogging again.   I've had a wonderful start to summer full of house guests, a road trip and a pup that got spayed (I listen to Bob Barker.) I promise that I will start blogging on a regular basis.  On my roadtrip with my mom and Barkley, I unfortunately broke my camera. Bummer! I hope the camera is simply taking a siesta and doesn't want to be laid to rest.  I tossed in a nalgene bottle into my purse, 2 hours later I grabbed my purse and lo and behold there was an empty nalgene and a non-working damp camera. I have high hopes in the camera guy that suggested placing the camera in a window sill and letting it enjoy the sunshine.  I'll let you know how it goes.

A few weeks ago, 12 acres of Mt. Diablo started on fire.  After sitting in traffic, watching the helicopters and planes come to the rescue dumping buckets of water, I was able to run home, grab Mike and Barkley and drive to a top of a hill to take this picture.  I really hope this is the only time that we have to see acres go up in flames, however, I'm not sure it will be.  I understand from the natives that the last time Mt. Diablo burned was around 1980.  We received so much rain this winter, which seemed like a blessing, only that the brush and grass has grown so tall only to be brown, dead and dry now.   So dry that 12 acres singe in a matter of moments.  We need goats.

Lots and lots of hungry goats. 

White Christmas

This view caused quite the traffic jam on the way to work yesterday... apparently we weren't the only ones surprised with the snow...however we were the only ones that could drive AND appreciate the view.

Western Bluebird (You see, this is why I read the paper...I would have had no idea what kind of bird this was, but after a gander at the San Francisco Chronicle, I now know that this is a Western Bluebird.)

This is Grizzly Peak, right above Berkeley's campus.

[pictures above...all from the SF Chronicle]

Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful sight. We woke up to snow. SNOW! I know! In the bay area! Yahoo! I love this place! The top of Mt. Diablo typically gets snow every year, but that's 3900 feet above sea level, this was the first time in 25 years that the foot hills got some snow. After Mike dropped me off at work, he ran home to grab the camera and took this beauty below. And you know what the best part of this snow fall is? For a midwestern girl like me, it has yet to feel like Christmastime...and now IT DOES! Yippee!