Sunday, May 31, 2009

11/365 Surfer Jewels


Yesterday I was looking for inspiration and so I wandered down to the local craft store. I bought some hemp and decided to see if there were how-to videos online... sure enough, there are. So this necklace is my first attempt! To some people, hemp jewelry is hippie stuff... but to me, it's always been more of a beach culture thing... Surfer Jewels... I love that culture, I love that IDEA... but to be honest, I'm terrified of the ocean. I mean, I don't swim in it. I like the beach - nice relaxing in the sun under the umbrella with a book, or people-watching. I would kayak, I like to go boating, but not swim in open ocean. Too many things that would take a little (or not so little) bite out of me!
So now I'm making a bunch of these, they're really easy, I'm doing bracelets with colored beads, another necklace with some gold beads, etc. Anybody want one? It's summertime!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

10/365 Planting



Planted up a new container today... we have a very shady area next to the front door... so that's where it's going! The biggest reason I would like to own a house is for the gardening. LOVE to dig in the dirt... very therapeutic.

Friday, May 29, 2009

9/365 Neighborhood Goats




So... most of Ojai is zoned for farm animals... so you can live in a regular looking neighborhood, and then the people next door might have farm animals of some kind. Our last house, it was chickens (and a rooster). And here, the people around the corner have two sheep, a pig, a horse, and these two Pygmy Goats! When I did my rotations in the vet teaching hospital at MSU, the goats were my favorite. They were so cute, and smart! So today I walked over there and took their picture... wish I could have taken them for a walk... they look like they could use it!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

8/365 Fern



I love ferns. They look so soft and fluffy, and they remind me of the great forests in Northern Michigan. I love to watch new shoots and flower buds emerging... nature always finds a way doesn't it?
This was a little experiment this morning...  isolating a shoot from a Maiden Hair Fern we have in the house.
I feel the need for a macro lens coming over me...

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

7/365 My Backyard


This is the view across the riverbed from our backyard taken tonight. It's pretty amazing... I'm sure this won't be the last of these either...

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

6/365 Bobby...





I work with a great group of teachers, and this is one of them...
He's one of the most genuinely positive and enthusiastic people I've ever met and he LOVES his fresh produce! That's a piece of broccoli, not kryptonite (I took a few liberties with photoshop). He was excited at the thought of being the pic of the day... so here you go Bobby, it's officially YOUR day!

Monday, May 25, 2009

5/365 Memorial Day




Visited a little cemetery here in town. There were several very old graves from the Civil War and the Spanish American War... a little boy riding his bike through the cemetery asked me if I was an angel, he said I was a "very pretty angel" I laughed, and thanked him... should've taken HIS picture!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

4/365 S.L.A.P.


"Sea Level Awareness Project"
This sign was about 2-3 feet above my head when I was standing on the boardwalk by the Ventura Pier... Food for thought... we can all make small changes that WILL make a big difference.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

3/365 coming in for a landing...


Nice laid back day in Ojai... This will not be the last shot of flowers I suspect... it's not easy to catch those bees in action!

Friday, May 22, 2009

2/365 Fishin' Pole



SO!
Every day on my way to work I drive by this telephone pole in Casitas Springs that has these fish tacked onto it... It started a couple of months ago or so with 4 fish (one has since jumped ship apparently), and now there are 3.
I have absolutely NO idea who put them there or why, but I love them for some reason (they make me smile)... I've been meaning to take a photo of them for a long time (who knows how much longer they will last there), and I figured now is as good a time as any!
And as you can see, we are socked in again this morning!

btw-the Jeep passed smog today with a patched up hose and a new gas cap! Plus 86 bucks more to Ray the mechanic...

Thursday, May 21, 2009

1/365 Getting Smogged...




This is just one fact of life here in Cali. No one told me that I'd have to pay SALES TAX on my car when I brought it over here 3.5 years ago, and no one told me about getting a smog check before you can register a car here either. You have to repeat this every 3 years...
The poor Jeep did not pass this time, so now it is spending the day there to diagnose it's emission leak. I actually started this process yesterday, and you know how when something goes wrong with your car, it sort-of engulfs your day? Yeah, that's what's going on today...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

May 20... preparations

I should be working right now...
I already know what the first pic will be... a quintessential element of life here in California...
stay tuned...