First Hike of the Season

Sunday was a beautiful fall day, cool enough for our first hike since spring. (Here, hiking is a non-summer activity since it's so hot.) We went to Placerita Canyon, and Cora seemed to really enjoy it. "Hike" isn't exactly the right word, more like a stroll on a dirt path. We listened to the woodpeckers and kept our eyes peeled for squirrels.

On Saturday, we had a near-40-degree temperature drop from earlier in the week and even a bit of rain. We went to check out water-wise gardening ideas at the Castaic Lake Water Agency's public garden, where you can see which plants grow well in our climate. We're planning ahead for when we have a yard of our own. We also took advantage of a great sale at Orchard Supply Hardware on paint - buy a gallon, get a gallon free - and brought home four gallons of a creamy neutral color for under $35.
As cool as Saturday was, we weren't well-prepared for it, and you can see Cora trying to stay warm in my emergency car coat (bottom photo).