everyone worked hard to make a nice indian dinner and fabuloso carrot cake filled with all sorts of nuts, sugars, spices, and fruits topped with creamy, lemon zesty frosting. it was delicioso and a blessed surprise party.
the yellow box was filled with an adorable plaid dress from my mothership-- anthropologie, and tubbery hooked me up with a sweet massage which i had yesterday. i felt muy especial and am grateful for another year to know God's amazing grace.
my birthday sweetheart. he is hanging in there with many daily challenges. lately it's been multiple trips to the dentist to fix a crown which fell out, got replaced, fell out again, got replaced again, and now chipped this week. we'll be going back on tuesday. it's exasperating and discouraging. were it not for the prayers of many faithful family and friends we'd be overcome by all of this. 
"had it not been the LORD (Yawehshua) who was on our side... then the raging waters would have swept over our soul...Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth." Psalm 124
Jesus is on our side and in His name lies our hope! thank you for praying.
...meanwhile fall is setting in. the aspens are turning golden and starting to toss their leaves about. the wind is sucking away what little moisture hides here leaving us with crackley lips and itchy skin marking the onset of another southwest winter. but still thriving is johnny's well-watered, favorite purple echinacea plant.
divine patterns are everywhere. can i have a blouse with this on it?
the juniper berries are getting plump and when squished they smell of gin. i wish i knew how to make a wreath out of these and other wildness i'm seeing lately. anybody know good sites/resources for wreathmaking/flower drying? do i need another project? why not!?
this is one of my favorite things about our adorable wally-- her exuberant lizard huntressing. enjoy!
she didn't get him, but we spent about 30 minutes out there together trying. her so cute! she's having leg/tail problems lately and it was a very stressful week for her and us. we are so blessed she's doing better today and thankful for time outside together.
more later...
after i got acclimated to swimming and hiking a few miles everyday with my triathaletic sister-in-law, and also loafing around rocks and rafts like a salamander, i felt completely fantastic. the power of vitamin d and endorphins are amazing. first off, this is the pool that sits below the cabin which fee's and n's grandpa (hil's dad) built years ago. i've been coming and going here since i was 12 and each time i see this view, my breath is taken away. 
here is the view down from the rock n and fee dubbed long ago as "the granddaddy commander." it's a nice 30 or so foot drop into the pool below. the pressure of the jump does a number on your ears so now it's best to stick to junior granddaddy (at left) or viper cove (due north). we used to spend hours climbin' all over this place.
one of my favorite things to do this year was cruise down the rugged road into local mining town of washington with the dogs while listening to dire straits. this year the california department of corrections had a fire department crew trimming up the roads. at first i was a bit alarmed to see about 40 men in orange jumpsuits tagged CDC prisoner wandering all over the remote backroad. i was assured at the general store that they wouldn't be there if they weren't totally trustworthy. not only were they trustworthy, but i've NEVER seen men work that efficiently in my life. they'd have trees and machinery all over the road and when i'd pull up to cross their path, they'd have it cleared in 30 seconds. i brought them bisquochito breakfast bread and watermelon one day to say thank you and they were sincerely appreciative. how can we get that kind of work ethic here in nm?! 
n, fee and i used to load up on candy at the general store here. fee would gobble her loot down in an afternoon and then demand that i needed to not be greedy and share mine. how does that work?! here is the sleepy, or hungover, town of washington waking up to another golden morning in the sierra nevadas. 
my dad loved this old truck in town; he took these photos.
he drew a beautiful sketch of it which he sent to n-man. we sure miss this guy and it was the biggest treat of my vacation to see him. he picked me up at the airport in sacto and drove me all the way to the yuba with a cooler of meat in tow.
over and out, papi. it was soooooo great to see you! thanks for the great visit!!!!
another favorite spot on the river is a great, long pool next to a tumble of rocks and shallow pools. we called it our swimmin' hole and since the sign doesn't say no lap swimming, we went everyday.
here are franco and cho rolling down the rio.
wally watchin' mama and fee bird swimmin'.
two river beauties... my best homegirls.
the shallow pools above the swimming hole are a great spot for sunbathing and dipping crusty feet. we spent many hours up there lazing around watching frogs, gazing up at the hills enclosing us, and working on our irish tans. 
look guys, i brought my samwich! 
i instuted a new tradition which thouroughly impressed my mother-in-law-- dry sandwich delivery. i delivered some right-smart lunches even though i looked like a total dork. what else is new?! just for you, cho.
me want some too, wockie.
me and my best fwend having such a nice timish!
no vacation would have been complete without some nathan's beef franks. best lunch i had all year!
another highlight of my high sierra escapade was when fee took me on a "little hike" up from the campground to the jolly boys mine. i almost had heatstroke, but it was totally worth it. these hills tell stories of days gone by and you feel the history everywhere; especially, when you see old mines and equipment scattered here and there. it's eerie and exciting!
we finally arrived at jolly boys mine and looked down into what is claimed to be the deepest pool on the south yuba. unfortunately, the jolly boys' investment didn't pan out (literally) as the waterfall which beats at the top of the pool washes out the placer rock before you can get to the gold. their recently abandoned equipment is everywhere, along with load of shotgun shells. 
this pool was the best. icy cold and bubbling with a mineral scent-- it felt like swimming on clouds. the pool used to be much deeper, but a HUGE flood in '97 filled much of it in with boulders. the edges are still fathomless so it's suuuuuper creepy when you swim over to the sides with the rusty, old mining cables dangling overhead. 
fee bird and i headed for the falls. resistance swimming at it's best! 
i took frankie and cho and the dogs up here the day before i left. it was a rough hike for the troop, but again, very much worth it. 
scoobie got a wittle bit insecure even after her nice lunchie. she did NOT like everyone swimming up to those falls, and like most muscular staffies, she doesn't have the greatest buoyancy. she kept trying to rescue anyone who went for a swim, but would turn back midway with a look of terror on her sweet little terrier face. stay, scoobie, say.
ahoy, maties! 
here is the whereabouts of the rock where hilary's dad would always get the jeep stuck and the oil pan would fall out on the way to the best secret swimming spot--the lost falls, can't tell you more than that, folks. maybe next year. this is a seriously mad road and i can't imagine driving up here, let alone with kiddies bouncing around in a jeep. hils said her dad would go fast and they'd be screaming with fear and delight all the way. apparently he was the funnest person ever and i believe it knowing the great cho!
another magical experience was going to my favorite town ever, nevada city. it is hard not to get lost in the past here and wish you could stay and visit every museum, bookstore, thrift store and old mine around. the history is haunting and close, even though it's getting yuppied up. here's the old firehouse. 
grass valley and nevada city are the two best preserved gold mining towns in ca, and can easily get into your soul. 
so long, everyone!
good bye to my favorite road. this scene always gives me hope and reminds me of my hope in this life-- but the grace of Jesus and eternal life through Him.
bean and i got some time to walk and talk. we finally broke out the gigantic umbrella that was left in my car by a mad-scientist near the mexican border. that's another story.
we shared pizza at their b&b and then watched "so you think you can dance" with great intensity. they are quite the team them carroll womens. they cracked me up and i love them bigtime!
a few days later i ran into pez man.
