Fall has arrived (such as it is in San Diego) and it's been great. My dear Phoenix friend Jan, and her husband Art, spent the first week of November with us. We had a great time, and I'm sorry I didn't document their visit with more pictures. Started out with a trip to the Renaissance Faire at Felicita Park just down the street from us. Bob and Art enjoyed eating the Giant Turkey Drums of yore. Jan shopped the jewelry booths. Bob and Art toured the Midway at San Diego Harbor while Jan and I shopped at Seaport Village. Then we attended a free afternoon concert by "The Hats", at our Center for the Arts here in Escondido, who performed all the old standards. Let's see, more antique shopping, both in Temecula and locally in Escondido, and on and on and on. We kept pretty busy! Was a fun visit; they are super people!

We're headed back home after about three weeks on the road and have had another wonderful trip to Lake Tahoe and elsewhere in the Eastern Sierra's. Weather has been stunning, total sunshine every day--70's in Tahoe and High 80's or so in the rest of the Carson Valley.

A couple of new experiences this trip. One was viewing the nature center at Taylor Creek in South Lake Tahoe. We thoroughly enjoyed this little one-hour diversion, a nature walk along Taylor Creek. First photo shows this beautiful crystal clear creek; the second shows a few of the hundreds of salmon spawning; and the third shows their under-creek live viewing area (notice the water line of the creek where the small dam above is spilling into it).





The next fun new thing we did is watch the Tahoe Derby Dames in their last game of the season at Bijou Community Park. This is full body contact roller derby and the gals were great! AND, THEY WON!





A couple more of my favorite shots are of an early evening visit to the Valhalla site (the Boat House and pier), the Tuesday Farmer's Market, and the Ski Lift at Heavenly Village.






This retired life is such a treat! And we are so thankful; Bob is feeling really good again!

Things went well for Bob at the hospital today. He's back to a regular and normal heartbeat. He's looking forward to getting some energy back--then how will I keep him down on the farm . . .!

July has been fun so far. Began with a great visit from a Chardon High School classmate, Kathy, and her husband Bill, who stayed with us a couple of nights. I admire their get-up-and-go, as they rode out here to San Diego from Ohio on their Honda Gold Wing! Not bad for a couple of senior citizens. Once I realized they were members of the All 50 States Club, I stopped worrying about them on the road. They KNOW what they're doing out there. Was fun to see them and catch up on some Chardon news. Like they say, Grandma ain't like she used to be--and we're the better for it!

Weather was unseasonably cool and overcast when they were here and I felt bad since they had purposely planned to drive upstate along the coast road. Probably didn't have optimum views of the ocean as they sometimes could have. Naturally when they left here the weather turned and it's been 90+ degrees for the last 10 days or so. Then again, it was around 90 in Chardon when they talked by phone with their kids!

Not a whole lot of news here. On Wednesday Bob will have an outpatient procedure at the hospital where they will shock his heart to regain its normal rhythm. His pulse rate has been quite high the last couple of months, and they feel they can bring it down with this procedure. He'll be sedated for the procedure, and the doctor says he should regain his energy level after that. Doctors don't seem too concerned and say this is not uncommon after the kind of surgery he had in April. So far we've trusted them and they've done right by us--that's about all you can do.

'Til next time, happy summer to family and friends!

Guess I've been kinda busy--haven't posted anything since May 2. Bob continues to progress well after his surgery. A few glitches in his recovery, but the doctor says these are not uncommon with the type of surgery he had. So, we continue to be grateful that he grows stronger each week.

What prompted my post today is evidenced by the pictures above! I just got off the phone from talking with my sister Gail, and lo' and behold when I look out the window I see a giant egret (actually named a Great Egret) in our yard! Plus the assorted bunnies (who have been wreaking havoc for months now) and various other birds at the feeder. Feels like my own little wildlife sanctuary. The egret walked the entire yard (very s-l-o-w-l-y) and then flew off. Fortunately his slow pace allowed me to get my camera and take a few shots!