Pictures of Julian...

Mark took this awesome picture of the wild Turkeys we saw on our hike...

Me having a blast!

Mark was feeling very daring climbed to the top of a huge fallen down tree...

A beautiful view of Lake Cuyamaca

Along the trail...beautiful, isn't it?

Here I am just starting out on the trail...it was such a beautiful day!

We found this babbling brook along the way and got all excited, here is my handsome hubby...

I just had to have my picture taken next to a Pine tree!

I haven't seen a Maple tree in years, and this little darling was the only Maple tree around for miles and miles...

Here is Julian in the background, and Lake Cuyamaca....pretty, isn't it? (This was my first time putting pictures up on my blog)

Fall Bliss!!

Just two posts ago I was talking about the lack of fall here in El Centro, and so I feel that I should write now and tell you about the Fall fun I had this weekend!! Mark took me to Julian for the day yesterday and I had the most wonderful time! We drove to Lake Cuyamaca ( if you want to see what it looked like, I found this link http://www.pbase.com/gcropser/image/48952234 )I hope to actually post some pictures of our fun here soon! So we left the house at about 10:00 and headed up to Julian. While Mark drove, I read the book Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter, to him and we had a great time thinking about things to be "glad" about! When we got to the Lake, we went to buy a loaf of bread to feed to the ducks. The nice man at the cash register surprised is by giving us a bucket of old bread from the restaurant next door..and it was free!! (awesome, I know!) We had great fun feeding the ducks and shared the bread with a nice couple and their little boy. Mark had me laughing because he kept petting the ducks! We named one duck Marley, because he was our favorite, and we hope to go and visit him again soon. When all the bread was gone, we sat down on a large rock and snacked on dried pineapple slices and pistachios that we had bought from a roadside stand. That is when I spotted an enormous pine cone. So, while Mark ate all the pistachios, I was busy hunting for pine cones! Mark joined in, and was brave enough to take one off a tree...I never realized how prickery those things are...ouch! After I was satisfied with my pine cone harvest, we started off on our hike around the lake. I had to stop and hug a Maple tree I found (something rare around here). And picked a red leaf or two to press and keep forever! Off we went on our hike. The weather was crisp and cool and the wind blew through the tan prairie grass making a lovely rustling sound. It was a gorgeous day, and it was wonderful to enjoy the fall colors! We ended up taking a detour and going up the hill to see the old Stonewall Jackson mine. On the way, we ran into a couple of flocks of Turkey that Mark ran after and took pictures of... what a perfectly lovely time we had! We got to the mine around 4 and decided we had better head back before it got dark. We found our way back to the lake and walked and walked...and kept walking till the trail lead us back to our car. Along the way we saw a grey squirrel, a bright green Parakeet that was happily living with the rest of the birds...and a deer. We drove home, and ate BBQ chicken that tasted amazing after a day of fun! It was a wonderful day that I will remember for years to come! Ahhhh.....!

Just sign your John Hancock right here...

Hello everyone! I am feeling very happy at the moment as it is cool enough to put on my favorite pair of jeans and even wear a long sleeved shirt (gasp) as I went out to hang my clothes on the line this morning!!! YAY! Unless El Centro is just playing a cruel trick on me, I do believe that the cooler weather has come! It was so unusual to walk outside and not immediately suppress the want to say something awful about this place. I have been doing a lot of reading lately, I have been reading The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, which is a reprint of a book originally published in 1848! How fascinating to see a brief snapshot of the life of every man who signed his name to that historic document. It was thrilling to think of John Hancock being the first to pick up the quill and sign his name large and bold before sending it out to be signed by the rest of the 55 brave men. I have enjoyed taking a step back in time to an age of chivalry, godly men, faithful women, a deep faith in God, and spirited patriotism. Sigh.... If only I could time travel!! Once I am done with the Lives of the Signers, I am excited to start on the next book on my list: Wives of the Signers. Little is really known about the brave women behind those great men, but I am excited to read about wives like Dorothy Hancock, Abigail Adams, and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin! Oh! Its all so exciting that I feel like reading ahead! AH! While I am reading those two books, I am also listening to the History of the United States Volume 1 & 2 by Charles and Mary Beard on http://www.librivox.org/ . After that, I have my eye on a couple of biographies on Betsy Ross and Dolly Madison! Anyone have any suggestions on who else I should read up on? Good books on American history + a large cup of coffee = BLISS!!!