July 3: Mountain Sunset

After a cloudy day threatening summer showers since daybreak, the few remaining clouds are beautifully lit as the sun sinks behind the mountains of our small town....

Day 59: Goodbye, Snow!

Weather in the sixties today meant that our six inches of snow is melting rapidly. So as the sun disappears in the west, we bid farewell to the patchy snow around our front yard, only our second snowfall of the winter.

Day 55: Signs o' Spring

As I walked home from having tea with a friend, I stopped by my lilac bushes to check, and--lo and behold! Buds!!!

So despite the coldest storm in the last thirty years bearing down upon Southern California this weekend (snow down to 1000 feet, and possible snow flurries in the eastern valleys for the first time since my childhood), my garden is showing signs of the coming spring.

Day 41: Afternoon Shadows

We got home around 4:00PM from being in the city all day, and the shadows were long as we drove through the meadow on our way to our home. I love our little mountain valley and the meadow that our house looks out upon.

Day 31: After the Rain

It rained last night--one of the few times we've been rained on since a very wet December. The clouds split this afternoon over the meadow just outside our gate, the storm breaking apart as sunshine reclaimed its rightful place in sunny Southern California....

Day 23: At the Aquarium, Part II

Timothy's photo at the Sea Life Aquarium...not bad for a 15-year-old photographer!

Day 22: At the Aquarium

Timothy (age 15) took this photo at the Sea Life Aquarium. I think he did a wonderful job!

Day 8: El Capitan



El Capitan

As Keith and I drove back up the mountain after seeing our chiropractor, I snapped this one through the windshield. Often El Capitan, a stone-faced mountain, is hazed with smog. But this morning it was clear, and I couldn't resist....

Timothy's 15th Birthday

T opens a gift from Mum and Dad--a new chess set!

Cliffs of La Jolla overlooking tidepools

Boys checking out tidepools

Elizabeth finds a hermit crab

Four kids at tidepools

Looking into a tidepool

Towards Pacific Beach Pier

Timothy catches a crab

Timothy discovers a giant limpet

Tidepools

Timothy happily celebrates his birthday

A November Snow!

We had snow in November for the first time since moving here in 2001.  The kids loved it and really adored playing in the cold, wet stuff.

First Day of School: San Diego Zoo

Kids on First Day of School


California Tower in Balboa Park and Plane from Zoo Skyfari


New Elephant Odyssey


Polar Bear Plunge, taken by Jonathan

Summer Photos: Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach through Palms from Boardwalk


Pacific Beach Lifeguard Tower Flag


Pacific Beach Pier through Palms from Boardwalk

Easter Sunset

As we drove home from the cabin, we stopped and took a few quick photos of the gorgeous sunset....

Guest Photographer T at San Diego Zoo

14-year-old T loves photography, and he especially loves taking photos at the San Diego Zoo. And his favorite subject: Guess.... He took all of these yesterday with my camera in the Children's Zoo otter area. Thanks for being a wonderful guest photographer, T!

San Diego Zoo Field Trip

On Tuesday, the four kids and I descended upon Balboa Park, our favorite field trip destination, and thought we'd enjoy Free Tuesday at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the Natural History Museum. Unfortunately, it being Spring Break, most of San Diego showed up as well. We couldn't even get into the Science Center as the line for entering stretched out the doors and past the fountain! We were able to gain immediate admittance to the Natural History Museum, but it was far too crowded to navigate with my electric scooter, so after checking out the remodeled downstairs exhibits and giving up on the second floor, we decided to hoof it to the San Diego Zoo instead. Our annual passes are very much worth their weight in gold! So we explored the much less crowded Zoo, and here are some of the photos I took while there:


Iguanas

Red-Headed Lizard

Indian Gharial

Cactus -- in addition to being one of the finest zoos in the world, the San Diego Zoo is also a botanical garden featuring rare plants from around the world. In fact, the botanical collection is actually more valuable than the animals.

Day 84: San Diego Zoo

The coolest of the many photos I took at the Zoo on Wednesday. I like the last one best of the python....

Day 81: Lake Murray

On Monday the two middle boys started three days of standardized testing as required by our private home school group. B is young enough not to be required to participate, so while E stayed home to work on her high school assignments, B and I did his schoolwork at Starbucks while the boys tested. B and I also made a quick foray to Lake Murray, a park I rarely go to because of the preponderance of birds (which I don't like at ALL). But it was a beautiful day, and I took some nice photos of the lake ... and even of the birds.

Day 52: Cloudy 'n' Cool

Clouds over Viejas Valley, on the way to church


Clouds over El Cajon, on the way home from church

An usual day of high clouds with some lower ones, too -- very unusual for San Diego County.

Day 39: Snow Falling

Shortly before midnight last night I stepped out on our front porch to get my black skirt from the laundry room to wear to church this morning. And there it was: a white blanket of snow on our front lawn and across the meadow, albeit thin. Shivering on the front porch, Keith and I watched huge flakes land with the softest "whoosh" before retreating inside. While waiting for the iron to warm up before pressing said skirt, I peeped out the back door and saw huge flakes landing on the stone steps and vinca bushes. After snatching my camera from my purse in the kitchen, I came back, opened the door a crack, and snapped a couple of shots. Not until I downloaded them did I see the huge snowflake in this shot, the shadow beneath welcoming it to earth.

Day 27: "Up a Tree" by Guest Photographer T

When T spied a gray tree squirrel in the yard, he was out the door, camera in hand. Bushy-tailed fellows are rare in our yard as we are usually overrun by ground squirrels. T took several photos and asked me to post this one, his favorite. I liked a couple of other photos better, but he insisted on my posting this one.