End of October

Melanie had a big wedding Saturday, which she coordinated and did the flowers for. I went early to her florist studio and was tasked with stripping these roses, using a little tool. You quickly bring it down the stem, removing all leaves and thorns.

While I helped her, Cora helped build sets for Our Town, and Stace helped at the tiny house.

Earlier this week, I worked on Cora's passport application for her first British passport. 

On Sunday, I went to see a radio host and author I've followed for decades, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, with my friend Sue. 

The event, marking 50 years of Dr. Laura being on air, was held at the beautiful century-old Alex Theater in Glendale.

 

Halloween was this week, and we've officially moved into the next stage of Halloween life as a family. Although the girls weren't trick or treating really last year either, Ellie came to our neighborhood, so we went around together with Mel and Nick. 

This year, they went with Ellie's little friends closer to their own home, and Violet didn't dress up at all, and Cora went to a friend's house after school to watch scary movies and hang out. So, no trick or treating for us - and no free candy! Sad. We had to actually buy candy to pass out, as we also didn't participate in the Trunk or Treat we've done for years (where we end up with a bowl full of candy when that night's over).

Stace put out the Headless Horseman, decorated the MG, and he and Violet carved pumpkins to set out. We chatted with Toni and John, who brought out their table and chairs to the end of their driveway.

Also this week, Cora was heavy into rehearsals for two plays - Our Town, and later in the evening, Wolves, which she'll perform in come January. And I was at her rehearsal a couple of times, helping my dad take photos and interviewing kids for the press release I'll write, and the cast photo board I'll make. I'm also helping with the playbill.

Fun, Full Weekend

Violet and I did some PE at Vasquez Rocks on Friday afternoon, at her request. It was a gorgeous day.

We stopped for coffee drinks at San Fernando Coffee Company on the way home. 

That night, I had dinner with Christina and we saw a mystery play at The Master's University.

On Saturday, Vi got some more PE credit, taking a long bike ride with Stace. While near the mall, they came upon this hawk by a bridge, chowing down on a squirrel. Nature in action.

Meanwhile, Cora went to a big drama competition at Calabasas High with more than 60 schools, and I was able to chaperone. She took part in a musical theatre scene. Here, she is resting during this big day, and rehearsing lines with Mackenzie, who plays the second Stage Manager in Our Town.

That evening after we got home, we adults went to Fright Fest with Colleen, Rigo, Lucas, and our friends Christina and Eric.

It's always good hanging out with Lorraine-Lurane.

On Sunday afternoon, we got together with the same friends at River's End Pub on the other side of the valley. The bbq here is so good! Stace and I shared this humongous rib and sides.

Stace and Rigo drove their classics.

I found a new bread recipe that worked really well with my fresh-milled flour. Success! 

Violet and Liana went to a fun youth event at her church while we were at River's End. 

A good week!

Glen Ivy Girls' Weekend

A friend turning 50 is a great reason to celebrate with a girls' weekend.

We've been planning our overnight trip to Glen Ivy Hot Sprigs for Dinorah's 50th for a couple of months. We left bright and early Saturday, with yours truly behind the wheel. Once we pulled into the parking lot in Corona, we had breakfast in the car - I made my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and some grocery store mini frittatas. 

First stop was the famous mud!

 

We then cleaned up and went to the underground Grotto, where we were treated to a special moisturizing and relaxation treatment. No photos allowed in there; this pic was outside one of the many pools and spas later in the day. 

We dipped into the mineral hot springs, along with the saline pools, cold plunge and saunas.

After cleaning up again, we drove about 30 minutes to Riverside, where we checked into our hotel, had snacks, and got ready. We had dinner reservations at one of the restaurants at the nearby Mission Inn.

The Mission Inn is a historic landmark, but it was always a hotel. It was built based on the style of the California missions. It's huge, and very expensive. 

After eating at the Mexican restaurant, we checked out the others. This is the Presidential Lounge - the Mission Inn has hosted 10 presidents.

The Inn is famous locally for its Christmas light displays. They were getting ready for the season already. We went once before, when the girls were little, when my cousin Elizabeth lived in town.

On Sunday, none of had to hurry home, which was lovely. We got coffee at a place close to the hotel, which happened to be in a huge multistory antique mall. We all had fun treasure hunting.

We then started making our way home, stopping about halfway for a late lunch/early dinner in Claremont.

We found a great place with a good food, Happy Hour, a large outdoor patio and live music (seen behind us).

Such a great couple of days! I'm a blessed gal.

Yosemite: Glacier Point

 Stace and I woke up Monday, made coffee and tea and took a walk along the river. 

We spotted these pileated woodpeckers, which were crow-sized and "one of the most sought-after" birds to spot in the park. So we were lucky! Acorn woodpeckers, like we have at home, are more common in Yosemite, too.

We got back to our cabin and Violet was finishing up making breakfast.

We packed up the car again, and took a final bike ride before driving off.

We decided to go about an hour out of our way to Glacier Point, which offers a gorgeous vantage point of familiar sites from the weekend.

There's the Merced! We could also see where we stayed, both Housekeeping Camp and Curry Village.

Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls are visible in this photo.

We got back on the road, and made it home around 7:30 p.m. A beautiful little trip we'll remember.

Yosemite: Mirror Lake, and More

On Sunday morning, we checked out of our tent cabin and loaded up the car and our bikes, for a day's adventure.

We rode down to Happy Isles Nature Center, and admired the views.

Violet found this cool bit of wood.

We the rode down to Mirror Lake, a spot I remember visiting on our first trip, but Stace hadn't been before.

The bike routes around the Valley floor are so well done, and the weather and scenery were awesome.

Mirror Lake is nearly right under Half Dome, so the views were fantastic again.

But as for the lake? Missing in Action!

"It's so clear, you can see the bottom," Violet remarked. Love her sense of humor.

We found a nearby boulder to sit on, under the trees, for some snacks and drinks before riding on.

We stopped at the fancy, nearly 100-year-old Ahwahnee Hotel to look around. We checked out the shop and ordered nice drinks at the bar.
 

Cheers!

Violet found it amusing that her dad was enjoying his pricey gin and tonic with a PB&J from our bag.

We rode on to Yosemite Village, where we went in the big store and the Ansel Adams Gallery. 

By then, it was late enough to check into our night's accommodations at Housekeeping Camp, right by the Merced River. We got settled in and made dinner - at Housekeeping, you can cook food and have a fire pit near your cabin. We cooked up onions and sausages and put them in pitas with hummus - so tasty and a new idea for us for camping food. We took the finished result with our chairs to the river. 

Now that's a dinner view! After eating, we walked along the river, returned to our cabin and made a fire and read until bedtime.