Almost All-Hallows Eve....

Our pumpkins ... T's "California Jack," B's "Vampire Jack," and Keith's "Toothy Jack."

Teaching Phonics....

Reading through our Alphaphonics book daily can be a bit of a trial. B got a bit giggly and struck some silly poses for the camera. Hey, it's one way to postpone the phonics lesson! Today he read the first chapter of Little Bear, so we are making some progress....

Lunch with Logos Group

Our Logos reading and discussion group met this afternoon after church to discuss Annie Dillard's profound and beautiful book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Kitty hosts our meetings with her generous hospitality, as always, and we enjoyed discussing this mystical and strange work of literature. Not everyone liked it (in fact, I think only Kitty and I did actually LIKE it), but the group did gain a real appreciation for the beauty of Dillard's writing and the reasoning behind her "pilgrimage." I'll write more about the book on my meditative blog in a day or two.



Kitty made us this gorgeous and scrumptious cheese and chicken strata for lunch. French bread layered with gruyere and other cheeses, stuffed with chicken ... so decadent and delicious....



Kitty had these beautiful red pears sitting on her coffee table this afternoon, and I loved their autumn colors and the way the light struck them in the beautiful antique bowl.

Stained Glass in Our Front Window

Keith pulled out this stained glass window to weigh it so that he could gain an idea of how much the window he's working on will weigh so that he can support it adequately. Keith created this window for my grandparents early in our marriage (late 1980s), and when they passed away, we received it back. It had been hung on our front door of our old house, but when we moved here six years ago, we weren't sure what to do with it because we didn't want to spoil our meadow view from the front window.

When Keith brought the window out today, we decided to hang it for a while to see it we like it in our front window. So far, we do! Ideally I would love to build this window into a wooden door, but that will have to wait....

Smoke in the City

Today we made our first foray into San Diego since the fires began. The Harris Fire is still kicking up smoke in the East County. Both of these photos were taken in Alpine, halfway between the San Diego suburb of El Cajon and our mountain town.



For a few more smoke photos, check out these.

The Smoke Descends

As the winds shifted today from the offshore Santa Anas to the usual onshore breezes, the smoke finally made it to our mountain valley. We found our eyes and throats burning, and we were all coughing much more than usual. In fact, I stayed inside today except for sneaking outside once or twice to get a few photos, and my chest still hurts from breathing the smoke.



I've taken this photo in several seasons now. When you contrast this gray, smoky sky and hazy mountains to the bright blue skies of yesterday's photos, the effects of the fires can definitely be seen across the meadow. Those mountains to the north usually stand out in stark contrast; today the most distant peaks can barely be seen.



I took this from our front porch, looking southwest in the afternoon sun. The skies yesterday were a deep blue; today smoke from the fires about ten to fifteen miles away decends into our valley and hazes even the usually blinding afternoon sunshine. And this is an extremely mild version of the extreme smoke of the fires this week down in the city....

Wednesday: Park Day!

You would never know that the county is on fire from these photos taken at the park in our small town, to the east of the fires.



We met Sheri and her kids over at the park for lunch. They were also taking a break from homeschooling; we feel as though our kids are the only ones in the county "in school" during this horrendous week. Schools throughout the county have been canceled until Monday, from private preschools to the universities.



I feel almost guilty in enjoying the beautiful Indian Summer weather this week when there is death, fire, and destruction just thirty miles away in San Diego and while so many of my friends are evacuated, and some dear friends of the family lost their home to the fires. This tree in the park is showing its colors against a gorgeous blue sky, free from the smoke and ash that covers the rest of the county.

Fall Decor

Over the last few days, I've been spending a great deal of time in the kitchen where I can listen to the radio and watch the small TV for additional fire news. After decorating, I scrubbed down just about every surface, just for an excuse to keep current on the latest....

News. Fire News.

My day was consumed with news today, or it was whenever we actually had power. So when the power was on, I was watching the TV news coverage from the local NBC and CBS affiliates and also checking online news. But when the power was out, which it was from 1:30 to 5:00 AM and again from 9:15 AM to 1:45 PM, our options were limited. During school hours today, I tuned J's battery-powered radio to AM 600, KOGO, where I was able to keep up with the latest evacuations, road closures, and various updates. I even heard my PV neighbor, Pam, calling Roger Hedgecock for information on the fire closest to our town, which so far hasn't been a danger.

So despite losing power several times during the night and day (and even again tonight for about twenty minutes), keeping up with the latest news on the seven fires burning in San Diego County was my priority for this day, one that unfortunately will go down in San Diego (and California) history.

A Beautiful Day Turns Tragic....

It is difficult to fathom that such a perfect day at church -- this is Lake Murray Community Church after second service (and the pastor's son-in-law waving at me) -- could end up in destruction and death.



The fires are nowhere near us at present, but with high winds whipping around our house, I can't imagine trying to extinguish the two fires burning in San Diego County. Currently one person has been killed and seventeen have been injured, including four firefighters. The Witch Creek Fire near Ramona is due to cross into the San Diego city limits by 1 AM (thus the mayor of San Diego is speaking on the news), and the Harris Ranch Fire south of us is encroaching on Jamul. It's a scary night with the winds gusting to 60 mph outside our home. The winds are not supposed to let up until Wednesday, and we're expecting temperatures near 100 degrees in the inland mountains where the fires are burning, and humidity in the single digits. Fire fighting conditions are at their very worst -- most dangerous for firefighters and evacuees, including Keith's dad and brother, sis-in-law, and their five kids.

Lord, have mercy.

Upcoming Parade...

As E and I drove around town today, shopping thrift stores for Halloween costume stuff after she took the PSAT, we drove down Main Street in El Cajon, the suburb of San Diego where I grew up (and Nikki lived here, too, as a child).

El Cajon's Mother Goose Parade is second only to the Rose Parade west of the Mississippi. Obviously, preparations for the 61st Mother Goose parade, which takes place on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, are well under way. In addition to the annual fun of having my dad, a Toastmaster's member, as one of the twenty microphoned parade announcers along the route, my siblings and I twice appeared on floats sponsored by Der Wienerschnitzel -- lots of fun memories. But now the population of El Cajon has grown so much and therefore the parade route is soooo crowded that I've never taken the kids. We have our own little parade in PV which we vastly prefer, especially since I'm not willing to stake out a curb along the Mother Goose route at 7 AM (for a noon parade) on a Sunday morning....

Stained Glass Window Pattern

This pattern hangs on the wall of Keith's office. This drawing is full-sized for the planned window -- approximately four feet by five feet. The green lines are for supports -- special caming that will not interrupt the major lines of the window, Keith hopes. He's planning on doing some of the detail work with fusing glass together which requires a special kiln. Other detail may be accomplished through painting the glass. Currently he estimates that the window will have 1500-2000 separate pieces. He's looking into different types of glass this week, planning for the water, the sky, the flowers, the grapes, the leaves, etc. This window will really be a true work of art when it's finished!

More Autumn Photos....

Today the temperatures soard well above 80 degrees, and it felt much more like summer than fall. Nevertheless, our locust trees are losing leaves fast and will be bald soon. A little Indian Summer will not hold winter off for long in the mountains....

Wednesday: College Avenue

I had the wonderful (cough, hem, hem) experience of having 90 minutes of dental work done today. As I drove away from the office, I saw the palm trees against the clouds and pulled over quickly to capture it. After the fog and rain of the early morning, seeing the clouds break was lovely.



After taking the photos of the palms, I turned the Corolla onto College Avenue and drove through the traffic around SDSU, a campus of 35,000 students where my parents and grandparents attended.

Tuesday: Autumn in the Mountains

Aaaaahhhh, autumn in the mountains. It was 29 degrees when I left for Bible study this morning.

Monday: Apple Tree in Autumn

Our pippin tree produced barely an apple this autumn. Now the leaves are beginning to change color and some are drifting to the earth. This is fall in the mountains.

Sunday: On the Road Again

With a 35-40 minute drive into church each week (much less the other reasons we drive into San Diego), we see a lot of clear, cold mornings like this one on the highway, the mountain rocks set off against the deep blue of the morning sunlight.



Unfortunately, driving down into town as often as we do requires many stops at this fine establishment where prices are edging close to and over $3 a gallon.

A Day of Rest

After a very busy ten days during which we were very busy with little time to rest at all, I took today to really relax. I spent almost the entire day on the couch in front of the fireplace here, watching "NCIS" and "Northern Exposure" episodes, courtesy of Netflix. It felt wonderful to let my brain and body positively RELAX.

Oma's Pumpkin Patch

On this gorgeous autumn day in So Cal, I took the boys on a field trip with our school to Oma's Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside. The Pumpkin Patch is actually part of Van Ommerling's Dairy, a working dairy of 500 milk cows with two calves born this morning. I enjoyed the scenery and took photos while the boys tore around, enjoying the many activities.



J and all the boys enjoyed "sledding" down this papery material; in fact, it's how they spent the vast majority of their time at the patch.



The valley in which the dairy/pumpkin patch is located is quite beautiful -- lots of greenery (not common in this area) surrounded by the craggy mountains.

I'm posting a few more photos on my Extras page, including the boys choosing their very own "jack" pumpkins, included in the entrance fee. They love having their own personal small pumpkins, especially young B. Choosing the pumpkin was his favorite part of the two hours we spent at the patch.

Sleepy Puppy....

I looked down during our Thursday night "Survivor" fix to see Dash curled up next to me, looking adorable. I managed to "snap" him without his waking up which only rarely happens....

Books, Books, Books

The leaning tower o' books on the floor in front of the bookcase next to my bed. I've gotta read some of these sometime.....



And the sacred Norton Anthology shelf of said bookcase, with the tippy-top of the leaning tower just in view. All books in both photos are within arm's reach of my side of the bed and represent just a small sample of the assortment of books in our upstairs bedroom.

It's a wonder the floor hasn't collapsed yet....

Tuesday: A Sunset Silhouette

I was to busy teaching my kiddos and attending meetings to take any photos yesterday, so here's a sunset shot from yesterday in Balboa Park of the California Tower which my great-great-grandfather helped design.

There. All caught up at last. It's been a very busy week, so my sincere apologies for not posting for almost a week -- life has been more than busy; it's been outta control.

Monday: Happy Birthday, Keith!

Keith turned a youthful age on Monday. We celebrated by going to.....



The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum. My dad had purchased tickets for himself, Keith, E, and me to attend with his Rotary Club. Not only did we see the scrolls (simply amazing!), but we also attended a lecture by the scholar who first opened the Psalms scroll. It perhaps wasn't Keith's favorite way to spend his birthday, but it was indeed an educational and wonderful display. For more details about our visit to the scrolls exhibit, check out my regular blog -- address is at the top of the sidebar.

Sunday: Lake Poway

I didn't take any photos on Sunday, so here's a better photo of Lake Poway taken on Saturday. And, yes, Southern California is usually this brown, but for only three seasons of the year. Really. That's all.

Saturday: Hike around Lake Poway

At the picnic for my dad's former utility company's "Old Timers," my brother Tom takes my four and his two kids on a hike around Lake Poway as I leave to drive to a memorial service at Lake Murray.

Interstate 8 Through Alpine

This is the halfway point between our small town and the big city: the town of Alpine with Interstate 8 wending through its center. Keith drives this route nearly every day, and I drive it two-three times each week.

You don't want to see the mileage on our vehicles. Trust me.

Thursday: Autumn Tree

Autumn comes to Southern California....

Sailing Takes Me Away....

Today the kids and I went sailing around San Diego Bay with my brother and parents. My brother Tom and I grew up sailing as my mom's dad owned a sailboat and we were out at least once a month from spring to fall. My parents obviously know their way around a sailboat, as does my brother who used to take tourists out for sails around Coronado a few years ago. My parents haven't wanted the bother of upkeep on a boat, so they rent one through their yacht club, where the majority of their yacht fees go toward their boat rental. It actually costs less per month than cable -- a very good deal.



As we sail around the tip of Harbor Island, we pass by a wonderful restaurant, Tom Ham's Lighthouse, along with another sailboat.



We sailed from Harbor Island, across San Diego Bay, under the Coronado Bay Bridge, then back past the Navy ships on Coronado on our way back to the yacht club.



My brother Tom feels very much at home on a sailboat.



Tom and J enjoy the view as we sail past the gorgeous sights of downtown San Diego and Coronado.

I'll post a bunch of extras on my Extras Blog -- I took almost 250 photos today, but will post just a few of my favorites tonight.

Drawing ....

T has been working on this freehand dragon during history lessons. I love the detail of all the scales and the pointy horns. This is one scary beast!



Keith has been working on a Tiffany-style stained glass design for Dr. Adema. This is one detail from it; there are also rolling hills and a lake behind this grape arbor, plus roses, hollyhocks, and a hummingbird in the foreground. He's used some photographs of Dr. A's own grapes to draw this portion of the arbor. The final product will contain sections ofe fused glass as well as painted details; it will be quite a project! It's already beautiful in its design, and it's going to be UNBELIEVABLE when completed.

A Rose by Any Other Name....

The autumn roses are blooming in my garden. This antique double-bloom rose smells even better than it looks which may be hard to believe. And double-blooms are rare and sooooooo gorgeous -- definitely one of my favorites.

Sunday: The Sign of the Times

In our small Southern California mountain town, at least. Especially in autumn when the fire danger is at its most lethal. This sign has been posted on the offramp leading into our town for the past six weeks; it was first put up days before the Pine Fire which burned over 2000 square acres last month south of the town. We'll probably see this sign posted for the next month or so, or at least until the rainy season starts in earnest.