Road Trip! Over the Mountains to Lone Pine CA

Hubby and I took a quick trip to his Dad's for his 85th birthday.  We both looked forward to a road trip, one of our favorite things to do.

We love to drive up to the mountains and on this trip, we enjoyed passing all of our favorite places.  

This is Caples Lake.  I had to take a pic because it wasn't that long ago that they had the lake drained and we actually walked on the bottom of it.  

I had to share this picture of "Red Lake".  Why is it called that I wonder?  It's not red, that's for sure, but it is very green.

It's a long drive.  We decided to change things up and go a different route.  We usually go over Carson Pass.  

We chose this time to go over Monitor Pass.  It's not that much different.

This route goes through Markleeville.  It's a really small town. I wouldn't want to be there in the winter, I imagine they are pretty cut off during the snow.

It was pretty enough, but not spectacular.  We couldn't really tell if it saved time or not.  

Once you get over the mountains, it just seems like the road goes on forever.

It was a very long drive.  Here is a picture of the family:

This is actually their front yard.  Can you imagine this view all day every day?  Wow.

The sunset was spectacular.   I took this picture with my Iphone.  It was so beautiful.

Hubby took this one with his camera:

It was one of those things that was over way too quickly.  

We visited and then spent the night in town.  One thing that we both loved was all the old fashioned motel signs.  

How many suitcases should one bring for an overnight?  If I was flying, I would economize.  But, driving is just encouraging me to bring more.  I have a motto, "if you think you might want it, bring it!".  And, that's what I did.  These are all just for ME!.  Hubby had his own bags. My red suitcase for clothes, my other red bag has makeup and toiletries, the bags in the middle have shakes for breakfast (I even brought my blender...but forgot the most important piece....boo hoo), the fluffy bags had pillows and beach towels (just in case) and the black bag in front had my lap top.  I always bring a outlet strip for all of our plugs and my own alarm clock.  I never claimed to be someone who travels light.

The next morning we had breakfast with the family and enjoyed all the beautiful scenery.  This was taken on the road to hubby's Dad's house:

Hubby took some stunning photos of the area: (at 5 am !!! I stayed in bed)

On the way home, we went to Bodie, a famous old west ghost town.  I will save that for a separate post. It was so interesting.

We stopped in Bridgeport and could not find a mocha anywhere!!  So we had ice cream instead.  That's a fair trade.

After Bodie, we took an entirely different pass over the mountains.  Sonora pass:

This was a truly beautiful drive and it actually seemed a little shorter to go this way.  We would take this pass again the next time.  We loved the scenery.  I took this short video of one of the incredible views:

This trip was a photographer's dream.  Hubby it just itching to go back and really take some time to just take pictures to his hearts content.  

I was a photographer's assistant

Let me tell you.  This wedding photography is hard work.  My husband is the BEST photographer ever. And, I’m not the least bit biased.  He has done professional business photography for many years.  He’s done a few weddings for friends and they turned out FABULOUS!  He decided that he wanted to do more and put the word out.  Immediately he had people trying to book him.  Woo Hoo.  www.stevenfarrellphotography.com

This was a small wedding at a beautiful winery.  A wonderful way to spend a warm (or hot) summer evening.  I came along to be his assistant and help him with whatever he needed.  And, I planned to videotape as much as I could.

The bridal suite, where the bride gets ready was upstairs.  And, UP and DOWN those stairs I went.  Over and over!  Then it was out to the car to get something, then it was hold this reflector up in the air until you have no feeling in your arms!  Yep.  Photographer’s assistant is a hard job indeed.  Hubby is really nice and that made it better.  I can’t imagine if the photographer was barking orders at me.  I would have to quit for sure!

It was fun to be in the bridal room as the girls were getting ready.  They had a hairdresser and a makeup artist on hand.  That was cool.  The bride and the groom both have the MOST adorable children, and it was fun to see them in all their excitement.  What is it about weddings that makes everyone seem so BEAUTIFUL?  Or maybe these people are BEAUTIFUL!

Hubby took wonderful pictures and they will be over the moon when they see them.  My video was disappointing.  I will have to buy a new camera if I want to continue.  I got the whole ceremony, but it’s not in HD and hubby blocked my view of the bride coming down the aisle.  We will have to coordinate that in the future.  And, the bride and groom did not have a microphone, so my video did not capture them speaking their vows.  After the ceremony, I had both my camcorder and my small hand held camera.  My point and shoot actually took better video.  Especially in low light.  One bummer is that right when the cute little daughter was giving her special speech, my battery went dead.  That was so sad.  I’m still not sure what I actually got and how I can put it together as a nice video remembrance of their wedding.  It wasn’t anything we charged them for, so there is no pressure, it would just be a gift from me.  And, I know that I got something.

I think I was able to show hubby a few shots he might have missed.  Nothing big, but I feel like I contributed.  We have two more weddings this summer.  Both are at fun locations and we are really looking forward to them.

My fun 4th of July

We had a last minute invitation to watch the local fireworks from a friend’s house.  She has a spectacular view and of course we said YES!  We had to attend a local community planning meeting (who schedules stuff like that on a holiday??).  When we got there it was very exciting.  Steve immediately set up his camera.  Steve’s mom came with us and we had a wonderful time.  There was a potluck (we didn’t bring anything…how embarrassing!) and we were invited to eat.  It is apparent that I have a real weakness for potlucks.  I just love food and potlucks always seem to have such yummy choices.  For dessert, I was just going to taste a little of each one and I ended up eating pretty much a whole plate of goodies. 

As it started to turn to dusk, the moon started to rise and it was HUGE!  By the time the fireworks started the full moon was an amazing backdrop.  Hubby took some really great photos and I got some cool video.  Note to self on the video…hold the phone the other way.  Argh.

Here are some of hubby’s pics:

 

 

 

 

 

I took some video:

We all agreed that it was the BEST view of the fireworks and we felt honored to get to be there!

I love the Fourth of July.  It makes me emotional to see everyone celebrating our country.  We have a rich and unique history and this day is representative of all that our Founding Fathers had to go through to make it all happen.   A while back I came across this wonderful video about the history of the Star Spangled Banner and I want to share it with you.

I had come across this video a while back and shortly after I was invited to sing the National Anthem.  I almost cried as I sang the words, thinking about those times and how hard it must have been.  I don’t think most people realize how long it took to become a free country.  Just think about this, the signing of the Declaration of Independence was 1776 and this battle where Frances Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner was 1814, that 38 years later!  A LIFETIME!  A whole life of fighting to be free.  Wow.  I can’t imagine what that was like.  We are so very lucky!

I can't give up!

Why is every one always telling me to relax?  To calm down?  I don’t want to calm down.  And, I hate hate hate to quit.  To give up.  I try to give up.  I try to let go.  And then….I start thinking of new ways to work out the situation.

I have made a change from Dreamweaver to WordPress for building websites and I was so frustrated I wanted to cry or murder someone.  But, I just HAD to keep trying.  The more I tried, the more I learned, and the more I accomplished.  And, now, I just want to keep going and going!

I think that we are all different.  It’s a glorious thing.  Some people were born relaxed, calm and easygoing.  Some people.  But, not me.  My mind is always racing with new ideas and things that I want to be, have, do or try.  I have little notes all over the place.  I talk fast and I listen fast.  My poor hubby is so laid back and easy going, I’m sure I must drive him crazy….not that he would ever say.  He’s just too nice. 

I’ve been working closely with my oldest son (and business partner) recently on websites.  He is so patient with me and at the same time, he actually speaks my “language”.  He knows what I’m saying and what I want.  I love that about him.  He knows that I HAVE to do things myself and that I want to know how things work.  So, I can ask him a question and he won’t give me the answer, he will show me how to find the answer.  Isn’t that better?

Of course, there are lots of times that I feel like giving up.  Giving in and just plain quitting.  And, so I allow myself to do just that.  If something isn’t right, I say don’t do it.  But…if it’s something that you really want, something that your heart wants…take a breather and come back with new eyes and look for a different angle.  Life is like that.  When one door closes, another door opens.  If one thing won’t work, try another.  And, another.  And…….

After all this frustration, I have learned some pretty cool things,  I’m a creature of habit and Dreamweaver was my comfortable habit.  I’ve been using it for YEARS.  I didn’t want to learn something new.  Really.  But, now, I’m excited to learn more.  Yay.

Getting Ready For Summer

In my mind, I've been ready for summer for months!!  And, now the weather has finally warmed up.  Ah.  All those cold winter days I spent imagining sitting out on the deck in the sun are over.  Now, it's the real thing.  Today, I sat out there for a short break and actually got HOT.  Wow.  Yay!

I still haven't changed over my wardrobe from winter to summer.  It's past time and I plan to do it right after I write this post.  I wish I could have all new clothes every season.  Is that what rich people do?  Alas, I will pull out the same clothes as last year.  I did get a few new things for Mother's Day (thanks hubby), so it's not all old.  I'm tired of my winter clothes and I will be happy to pack them away.  I noticed on my scale that I collected some unwanted extra pounds.  I surely don't want those for the summer.  I went on two cleanse days and dropped six pounds.  Whew.  So, now I can pull out those summer clothes and they will fit just fine.

I also got out the sunless tanning lotion.  I can't get a tan any other way.  And, I like being tan.  It's just so easy to put on some lotion and like magic I have a tan.  My favorite is Estee Lauder.  I've tried them ALL!  If you decide to try it, get the "tinted" kind.  It's great because you can see it as you put it on and you don't have to worry about getting it uneven.  Always wash your hands after you apply.  You don't need "tan" palms do you?

One of my favorite parts about spring is the daisies.  A long time ago I scattered some flower seed in a flower bed in front of my house.  The only thing that came up was the daisies.   Every year I take the seeds from the flowers and scatter them back in and every year I get more and more daisies.  They are a very cheerful flower.  I'm a terrible gardener and daisies require no skill to grow.

I love fresh air.  I love to open the windows.  I can't get enough of that.  I often wonder about big places like Walmart and the grocery store.  They never air out the place do they?

We already got out the summer furniture, the ping pong table and the BBQ.  Things have been so busy, that we haven't had a chance to do much with them, but it's coming.

Yes. I"m ready for summer.  I look forward to hot summer days, and I still reserve the right to complain about the heat!

Broken Things

There is a broken heater by the back door that hubby will take to the dump.  I was looking at it and thinking "what a waste".  Why don't we fix things anymore?  I asked him this question and he said that it would cost more to fix something like that than to buy a new one.  I know that's true.  But, why?  I'm glad that things are affordable.  But, it sure seems to me that we throw away a lot of things.  My computer monitor stopped working.  I will have to get rid of the broken one.  Even if I wanted to get it fixed, I wouldn't even know who to call for something like that.  And, if I were able to find someone, it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new one.

I was trying to think of things that you would repair.  Cars. Major appliances?  Geez.  Are we the throw away society or what?  I've had 3 laptops and I still have the first two (that are broken).  I don't even know why I am keeping them.  If your camera breaks, will you try to get it fixed or buy a new one.  Mine is a very inexpensive one, so I'm sure I would have to replace it.  If your cellphone stops working, will you try to find someone to repair it or will you replace it?  My computer is running really slow lately.  That is one thing that still has repair shops.  I think I just need a tune up.  But the last time I took a computer to the shop, they told me it was dead.  Argh.

It wasn't always this way.  My Mother in Law keeps everything and will find a way to fix it if it breaks.  She still had a rotary phone until recently.  I don't think that you can even have one of those anymore, for compatibility reasons.

I seem  to remember there being more "repairmen" when I was a kid.  Do you remember the "lonely" repairman commercial for Maytag?

So many people are all about recycling and protecting the environment.  But, I don't hear a lot about the sheer amount of things that we get rid of.  Surely this is filling up some landfill somewhere.

What if we started fixing broken things again.

What if things were made to last.

What if.

What Happened To Civility?

Was it always like this?  I'm talking about politics.  I have very strong opinions.   But, I don't go about talking about them all that much.  Because I am in business for myself, I feel a little less free to share my opinions.  I wouldn't want to lose business over my views on the issues.  But, I'm not the least bit secretive about it either.  I grew up with parents who always voted the Democratic ticket.  And, I did the same for many years.  At some point, my husband and I both felt that our views didn't match the views of the folks that we were voting for.  So, we started opening ourselves to others.  The enemy!  I would say that at this time I am an independent conservative.  I have attended many Tea Party Rallies and I feel that the Tea Party Movement is filled with people that I most agree with.  Wow.  There is so very much that I want to say here.  I'll save that for another day.

Last night I attended a local candidates night for the position of Supervisor.  I have learned that the local government is so much more important than I ever realized.  The supervisor has huge responsibility and can vote for things that will directly affect my life.  So, this candidates night was important to me.  I didn't know anything about anyone who was running.  It became clear to me early on that I had a favorite.  They invited us to ask questions by writing them down on a card and I was eagerly waiting for them to read my question.  The guy that I was leaning toward answered my question in a way that was satisfactory to me.  The next guy made fun of my question.  He laughed and made my question in to a joke.  I was furious.  He made it seem as though my concerns were invalid and so far "out there" as to be "crazy".  Which means that he was insinuating that I am crazy.

Being the crazy person that I am, I visited this person's campaign website and found a wealth of evidence that supports the very issue I was asking about.  Turns out HE is crazy.  Crazy like a fox.  He knew just what I was asking about.  He is a supporter of it.  I guess he would rather keep it as a secret and was not too happy that I brought it up.

I'm going again tonight.  I'm asking again tonight.  Will he laugh at me again?

What happened to civility?  I believe that we can disagree.  I don't agree with him.  In fact, I am convinced at this point that he is an evil man bent on taking away the freedoms that define our country.  But, I don't intend to ridicule him or belittle him at the meeting.  I would much rather have a discussion where all voices are heard.  I support his right to his opinion.  But, he would seek to silence mine.

I have avoided politics at Lulu's Cottage.  This is weighing heavily on my mind.  I would urge everyone to return to civility.  Let everyone speak and let the chips fall where they may.  Why would anyone want to win anything by denigrating the opposition?  Win because you have the better idea and because you inspire people.  Not by being a bully.