Tools. . . and workshop by Stanley

Overhead bins are labeled: Paint and Sundries, Electrical, Mungo, Sand and Grind, IKEA, Automotive.
Hai wanted to know "What's a Sundry?" (He knows what Mungo is. Do you?)

Everywhere you look, it says Stanley. . . which should help Hai remember who built out and organized the garage shop for him. Hai can design and build stuff -- cabinets, garden boxes and household gear -- but up until now his shop looked, well, very creatively disorganized.
No longer. The big reveal was Monday and Hai was delighted at the change, and also surprised at the number of tools (some duplicates) he'd already acquired and mislaid.
He promised to keep the garage looking this way, but we won't hold him to it. We couldn't do it either.
Let the sawdust fly. (There's a bin for that too)

Mountain day trip

Halfway up Mt San Jacinto we found a cafe in a little town called Mountain Center. It was a good thing too, the curvy road was populated with Sunday sports car drivers and crotch rocket enthusiasts, eagerly testing their skills against a challenging mountain course. We needed a break from the heart-pounding action.
After breakfast at 4,000 feet, we left the popular Pine to Palms Highway and headed higher to the town of Idyllwild (pop 3,870). Our waiter had said that if we turned left there on Doubleview Road, we'd eventually get to The Point where the locals go on July 4 to look down on the fireworks displays far below. The entire town seems to be tacked precariously against the steep mountainside, affording spectacular views -- but no back yards.

Widowmaker

Stunning pine growths obscure most of the the views of the valley; we had hoped to see our place from up there, no luck. . . it was a bit foggy anyway.
We read somewhere that these sturdy pines produce the biggest cones in the world and, sure enough, when we arrived at The Point, we found a pine cone and. . . it was huge. They come from Coulter Pines and weigh up to four pounds. Advising you to wear hard hats when working around them, locals refer to the cones as "widow makers."
We also found views stretching toward the Pacific and to our right spotted the ski runs on faraway Big Bear. On the other side of Mt. San Jacinto (elev. 10,580) there's an aerial tramway that, for $25, will take a senior citizen to a tony restaurant set high over Palm Springs. This historic tram boasts the world's largest rotating gondolas.
They've probably got some big pine cones over there too.

Coulter pines have a limited range, found only in coastal areas in California.
This cone is a mere nine inches, they can be up to 15. We didn't go looking. No hard hat.

Arizona last night?

Tiny dust particles are credited with creating spectacular sunsets over evening Arizona desert skies. Looking west often brings a breathtaking view.
At daybreak this morning we looked east toward Arizona and saw these pink clouds -- making us wonder if we were enjoying the other side of what Arizonians saw last night.

Beach Happy!

Barbershop on Wheels calls at The Hotel California

Making a break? Birdie looks out the window in
the spacious grooming van.

If you remember the Mutt Cutts van from Dumb and Dumber, you get the basic idea.
We spotted a mobile Pet Care Grooming van roaming the neighborhood last week, and since our wooly girl was due for a trim, we got an endorsement from a neighbor and made an appointment.
Tina showed up early and in 50 minutes Birdie was expertly shorn, shampooed, trimmed and returned to her Mama. Nothing to it, Tina's been doing this for four years now and loves her work.

Warm water, filtration, refuse.

The van comes with a driver and its own tank of warm water, shower, hair dryer, vacuum, clippers and extension cord. You supply the electricity.
And we thought the price was right, $45, plus tip, and a kiss (below) from a grateful pooch -- happy now that the adventure is over.

The excitement is over. They're on to the next appointment. Birdie's having a nap.

Honk if you're a Kingfish

"Squeeze me gently, and I will honk. Throw me back in to the ocean, and I will grant you seven wishes."

They were casting along the ocean shore for halibut but not catching anything. However, we found this fisherwoman who had pulled in a nice batch of ocean finnies. They were flopping about in a tupperware tub. She was happy to tell us they were "Kingfish." We had thought The Kingfish was Huey Long's nickname -- shows what we know -- but we're here to learn. They're very pretty, that we could see. She not only told us how she caught these fish, she added that if you squeeze a Kingfish gently, it will honk.
We asked for a demonstration, and sure enough, The Kingfish honked at us.
Made us smile.

Bottle brush tree?

We couldn't find a label on this tree, so we have to call it bottle brush until we hear differently. We were enjoying a pop in the hotel back yard when we spotted something new: these new red bursts coming off the tips of this tree. Golly. Can't wait to ask Hai. Hope he kept the label.

Later that evening:

Yup. Hai says it is a bottle brush tree.

New life at Singing Hills Goat Dairy

Just one or two days old

Jennifer reports a fresh batch of kids at her friends' Singing Hills Goat Dairy in rural Nerstrand, Minn. Kate and Lynne (below) own the operation. Jennifer (right) went there with Christina (above) yesterday to cuddle the soft newborns.

 Lots of oohs and aaahs.

Perfect Day at the Beach for Northerners

Photo by Stan Rolfsrud

Upstairs, corner booth at Ruby's on the Pier.
That's Hawaii over the horizon.

The forecast promised it would get no warmer than 66 and be partly cloudy, so to us, that was perfect for a day at the beach. We like it a little cool and it was that. We stayed indoors for lunch, others were outside in shorts, good for them.
It's winter on the West Coast and the beach traffic was pretty light today, we like that too. There's still a nice breeze so the surfers were active, mostly waiting for just the right breaker. Surfer Kathleen coaxed them to get on it, while Stan tried to line up a shot.
The beach stretches to Camp Pendleton and the stores in town were heavy on items for U.S.  Marines in need of regular haircuts, uniforms and breakfast. Our search for an item for a nine-year-old granddaughter was soon aborted.

A dining tip for the younger folks from retired seniors:
Arrive early at The Malt Shop when the weather isn't popular. You can get any seat in the house