Bodie trip

We drove out to Bodie state park yesterday.  Bodie is an old, abandoned mining town 13 miles off Highway 395.  It was very windy up there and we had to protect our cameras from the dust.  There were some thunderheads out toward the Sierras, but for the most part, the skies over Bodie were gray and cloudy, and, at a place known for photographers, that wasn't good.  So, when you have lemons, make lemonade, right?  I tried to focus on shots that didn't require a skyline or clouds.  Instead, I focused on buildings and windows.

New friends

I have some new friends up here in the Sierras.  They show up every day...morning, afternoon, and evening.  They just won't stay away!   Who needs TV when I have these guys to entertain me?

Silver Lake in the afternoon

Hubby fell asleep in one of the cabin's reclining chairs yesterday afternoon and took a LONG nap.  I was bored, so I hopped into the XTerra and went for a ride over to Silver Lake.  There are 4 lakes in the June Lake loop:  June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake.  All are stocked with fish and a lot of fishermen (and women) fish all summer long in them.  There are campgrounds around all four lakes, also.  Silver Lake is the prettiest lake, I think, although June Lake is gorgeous and it looks like it could be a small village in Switzerland.  Photos show the south end of June Lake, then Silver Lake, with the fishing boats tied up for the afternoon, and Grant Lake.  On this afternoon, the wind was really blowing and you can see some white caps on Grant Lake.  Maybe today we'll drive over to June Lake and get some decent photos of it.  The last time we pulled over to take photos, hubby was standing away from me when I spotted something flying right past us~~it was a bald eagle!

Mono Lake

We are up in the Sierras for a few days and yesterday we drove out to Mono Lake to the south tufa area.  It's very hot and dry out there, so bring water, a hat, and sunscreen if you visit it.  Also, there is a $3.00 per person fee now (California is having issues with its state parks).  We're heading up to Bodie today and I'll have to check the fee there.  We noticed the thunderheads building up yesterday afternoon when we drove down to Mammoth Lakes to buy gas and groceries.  There is really NO decent grocery store here in June Lake and the nearest one is Vons down in Mammoth, which is about 20 miles down the road. The clouds just add another dimension to the views at Mono Lake and we try to visit it each time we come up here.  The tufa is made from the calcium deposits in the lake and the south exhibit has these tufa towers.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Fly season

Yes, it's that time of year again.  This year, however, I've made up my own fly repellent spray which mostly consists of lavender essential oil and some eucalyptus and citronella.  I'm hoping it will work.  I made a batch of essential oil/castile soap spray which I used at school this year.  I added peppermint essential oil to that one and it made the room smell HEAVENLY!  The kids really liked it.  I ordered my essential oils through Rose Mountain herbs, but I also bought some at Clark's Nutrition, which is in Palm Desert.  Fortunately they carry almost everything I need and while their prices are a little bit higher, I don't have to pay for shipping. I'm anxious to see how my homemade fly repellent recipe works.  For some reason, the lavender is supposed to repel insects...???

Last day of school and then...

Today is MY last day at school, even though there is one more day, Friday.  Hubby and I are taking off this afternoon for a weekend up in the Sierras.  So, I may not be posting for a couple of days.  We're going from daytime temps of 104 down to 75.  And, night temps from the mid 70's to the mid 40's.  So, I've had to rethink about what I'm packing in my bags.  Lots of clothes for layering.  We like to get away right at the end of the school year and we booked our cabin two months ago.  Now it is booked all the way through the first week of August!  I can't wait for some summertime HORSE TIME!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  The kidlets will be making cards today.  Fortunately, it's only 1/2 day today and tomorrow.

Take care.  Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Hope! ~~Cosmos from my garden~~
~~Cheryl Ann~~

The END of the school year

Only 3 more days (and they are half days!) until the end of the school year.  I'm finding that every year I get so tired at the end of the year that I literally DRAG myself to school.  And, this little class has been a decent one.  NO major behavior problems (knock on wood.... I was talking with my colleagues the other day and I mentioned that I usually don't decompress fully until July 4th.  I quit tapping my feet and my eye twitch is gone by then.  PLUS, I FINALLY get HORSE TIME!  I can't wait for horse time this summer!  :-)  We've been having some HOT DAYS here in the desert and even up at the ranch, it is HOT...almost too hot to be there more than a couple of hours, but, hey, summertime is nearly here!  :-)  And, that's a good thing because now I'll have some horse time!