Nasty beast won't let me compose...

In the trees...

Don't know what type of raptor this is, but...

It's impressive!

The same, but different...

These pics were taken on a recent walk - California Golden Poppies, and possibly Spanish Poppies...?

These are very yellow...

These are California Golden Poppies,

Bright Orange.

I've also seen, although not recently, poppies that were orange and yellow.  I wonder if they are different species, or just color variations of the California Golden Poppies.

Wildflower walk

Here are some pictures of wildflowers taken on one of my walks...

I like this...

and this...

There are just too many pretties to choose from....

Don't forget, you can click on the images to make them larger.  Does anyone know the names of these beauties?

Some days are just like this...

Kinda lazy, kinda slow...

Little Snail...

Splish Splash...

Have I mentioned - I LOVE sea???

...and the things in it???

xoxoxo G. :-)

High flier...

These pics speak for themselves... Yowza!

I don't know who he is, but away he goes!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Look what we found washed up on Carmel Beach...

Gooseneck Barnacles 

Kelp

Seaweed 

more seaweed...

I think this is a Bell Jellyfish...?

... & more seaweed

Being a beach bunny at heart, I really miss being able to walk on the beach whenever I want too.
Do you notice how white the sand is?  This is different from all the other sand on the Monterey Peninsula Beaches.  I have heard that Carmel periodically has their sand shipped in from "Elsewhere" because storms wash this beach clean of sand.  I collect sand from beaches and all the other local beaches have either brownish sand, and/or rocks.

Monterey...

My dear friends from Oregon, Mike and Janina, invited Suzanne, her husband Jeff, and me to to spend some time with them in Monterey.

We could not have had a better time...

At the beach...

What fun....

& there goes Mikey...

 

The Pacific Rim - My favorite place in the world!

Mike and Bixby...

That's us.... :-)

Two finds, two friends!!!

Thank you guys, we had a wonderful holiday...

A brief moment...

A brief moment is exactly what it was...

For just a short while 

The beautiful cherry trees 

Were covered with pink.

                                                            Haiku by G. 

Now the rains have washed all the blooms away, and the trees are covered with red leaves.  What remains of the petals lay like melting pink snow by the side of the road.  I miss the blossoms.

A walk by the river

Took a walk by the river with my darling son about a week ago and took a few pictures.

This is the one I liked best.

Well, what do you think?  Not just about the photo, but here's the deal... I have a new computer and am able to access my photos for blogging easily.  That I think, for me, is the key to more frequent blogging... easy access to my photos.  I feel pleased!  :-)

Cat's in the bag...

One of China's favorite hiding places...

He weighs 10 pounds now...

And he is not even 6 months old...

New craft...

Suzanne and I took a wire/beading class, and look what we did...

These are the ones I did in class...

These are the ones Suzanne did in class...

Here is a melange of pretties...

I am a bit disappointed in the photos though,

they are a somewhat faded looking compaired to the

real deal which are quite bright and pretty.

Faded photos aside, we have all kinds of ideas - some for pins, some for "pendents", some for earings.  The one to the far right might be pretty on a neck chain, don't you think or maybe a ribbon.   Feed back is always good.  xoxoxo G. :-)

Seashells

Aren't these pretty?  This is a small remnant of a large collection I used to have...  The ocean is full of fascinating things!

These fit nicely in a small basket...

I wish I had the shelves to display them like this

all the time.

Not so big, but I think very pretty...

So, what do you collect?

Look how he's grown...

Now - who's the cutest kitty?

Well China of course!

Wearing his new sweater

that looks like his old one...

Look how he's grown...

Has anyone visited cuteoverload.com?  Check it out... It's too cute for words!

Man of Steel Art

The last time I visited the Monterey Peninsula, to see Martha, I saw these sculptures in a shopping center's parking lot.  I got permission from the artist to take these pictures...  You can find more of the artist's work at  manofsteelart.com...

I love this "stable"

Do you feel like you are right on the farm?

Whoa horsey...

You might find a dragon in the most unexpected places.

My good buddies, Martha & Sarah

Near the end of an almost perfect day...



cooking...

I've been busy in Roberta's kitchen for the past few days...,

It smells so good...

Yummy cake, made from scratch...

Recipe is included in this post.

I love making deviled eggs...,

Fantasy Fudge...,

If you make this cake let me know how it turns out... comments are appreciated.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE:
You do not need an electric mixer for this cake, I like mixing it with a wooden spoon.

INGREDIENTS
Topping:
1/4 C Butter
1/2 C Dark Brown Sugar (packed)
1 can Pineapple Rings (in juice), save 1/2 C juice
Marischino Cherries

Cake:
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 C Butter (soft)
1 C granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 C milk
1/2 C Pineapple juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees, Grease 13" x 9" cake pan

Topping:
Melt butter, mix in brown sugar, spread in pan
drain juice into bowl and place pineapple rings in pan, add maraschino cherries

Cake:
In large bowl, mix butter and sugar till creamed
add eggs one at a time stirring till well blended
add all dry ingredients, stir in gently
add 1/2 C Pineapple juice, and milk - stir
add vanilla - stir till blended
Pour gently over topping

Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, put a plate (or baking pan) on top of cake pan and carefully turn over.  Did any of the topping stick to the pan?  Scape it off while it's still warm and put it back on the cake.
Enjoy!!!

Waiting for spring...

Any guesses what these are?

Strange, aren't they...

Does this help?

Getting warmer?

 They're Morning Glory seeds 

...I'm waiting to plant them in the spring!

These are some of the first seeds I've ever collected for spring planting...
I wonder if they will "take". 

sweater

I've had several people ask me about China's green sweater... 

The top of the sweater

Bottom view...

China, modeling once again...

Suzanne and I are thinking about making these sweaters for sale.  Anyone know any chilly cats or dogs???