Adios to the Summer weather!

The rain has come, summer has gone. So sad.... Last Sunday Gus and I went out to the harbor entrance and had a nice summer walk. You see here in Humboldt County, we get our summer weather in the fall just before the rain comes. It is short in duration, perhaps only a few weeks, so we have to get out and enjoy it while it's here. This was an exceptionally warm, calm day out on the beach. Quiet, blue skies awaited us as we made our way down the jetty. We drank down the summer sun as if it were our last. We were determined not to waste a single minute of it. Savoring each moment like it were a delicate glass of choice wine, sipping it in & swirling into our memories. I love the ocean.

I love the gulls resting so picturesque on their lofty perches. I love the little shore birds that run along the sand with their knees bent backwards, screeching loudly as they swoop near the breaking waves.

I love to watch the ocean tide as it laps the rocks along the jetty, the water shimmering like sapphires against a brilliant sky. Mmm. And I love a Creator who so lovingly gifted mankind with such a great treasure to be enjoyed and experienced just to give us a glimpse of how incredible He is!

It was a very good day.


Ms. Tilly loves the ocean about as much as I do.


I also love the man who on any given day will drop whatever he's doing to spontaneously run off on an adventure with his honey. Just because he loves me. Just because he likes to be with me. Just because he is that kind of guy.
Wow, I am incredibly blessed.

Fogust

I don't mean to be whiny or ungrateful, and I suppose I am, but seriously..... this has got to be the crummiest summer weather I have ever experienced in Humboldt County. I wonder what my winter outlook will be like if I am this gloomy during the summer. You know the feeling. When the sky is dank and gray all day long.... it sort of drapes over your spirit as well. Today after I dropped S3 off at his summer job, S4 and I rode our bikes out to the college. We actually got dripping wet! Not with sweat, but with drizzle. Or maybe I should call it fizzle, being it was more of a super heavy fog than an actual rain. Funny, funny. Here it is Aug. 18 and I am still waiting for summer! And school starts in a week! EEeekk! Ok, I'm done whining. Enough. Reebs does a good job of demonstrating my sentiments!

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day browsing the internet searching for vacations. I know, it must have something to do with this weather..... I looked at Cancun, Hawaii, Zihuatanejo (Mexico), Cabo. I am dreaming of sunny weather! I have a credit with the airlines that I need to use before November, so I am looking for a way to spend it. The flight prices have gone up dramatically in the last year. Whoa. Mexico is still looking like my best bet. So if I don't post for a while that might just signify that I have flown southward, toward the equator, in order that I may get some summer weather somewhere!

A Getaway

This is how I like to spend summer weekends..........in the sun, in my bathing suit & flip flops, hangin' out with the girls in the redwoods, cruisin' with my dog.
It sure beats this!


I canned a bunch of strawberries the other day. Mmmm. I made some whole wheat rolls to go with it!

Summer Time in Salmon Creek

Happy feet. This is what feet should be doing on a hot summer day in August. Although here on the coast we have had the coolest summer I can ever remember, the inland valleys regularly have daytime temperatures in the 80's which lures us to the rivers and creeks for fun in the sun.

And of course, sleeping is required. All I could accomplish after all the activities I have been writing about was a nice afternoon nap. Even though it looks like I collapsed upon a pile of hard rocks, I actually found a small portion of warm sand in which I carefully nestled myself.

All that napping makes one hungry, so of course we then spent the rest of the afternoon doing that among other things.

Important things like sitting under Mark & TJ's veranda which are loaded with grapes



and watching the cows and donkeys graze on hay and grass.

Did I mention how much I love summer?

Three Falls, Ooops!

No greater way to spend a sunny summer Sunday sabbath than swimmin' at the Chapman Falls. (Wow, that's a mouthful of S's.) We had our annual church picnic at the ranch yesterday and from what I could tell, everybody had a wonderful time. For any of you who have been to this mostly obscure Humboldt jewel-of-a-place, you know just how amazing it is. Nestled deep within the Chapman Ranch lies this refreshingly beautiful waterfall and swimming hole, accessible only to guests and friends of the Chapman family. Let me just take the time to say that I am most grateful for the opportunity to be invited to enjoy such an incredible natural wonder. TJ & Mark are two of the most caring, sharing people I have ever met. Each and every time I hang out with them, I am encouraged & inspired to grow deeper in the grace and love of Christ. You guys are exceptional people, I mean it!

This is one gigantic inflatable inner tube! Lots of kids and dads spent most of the day climbing and jumping on this thing!

Then there were others who just wanted to soak up some of that warm, SoHum sun.

The only way to get down to the falls is to hike down a really long, steep hill, (which some of us did. That made us more than ready to jump into that cold water!) or take a ride in one of the ATV type vehicles. So Mark shuttled people up and down in his cruisin' convertible. Once you arrive at this spot you still have to hike another 1/4 mile down a rugged, steep foot path to reach the falls.

Even Velma made it down the trail. What a gal! There was no way we could persuade her to stay back with the lawn chair crowd. She said that she was plenty sturdy to make it down there and that she only needed to hold Mark's hand to make it down. Graciously, he complied and helped her up and down the trail.
Later that evening we headed back to the coast that evidently had once again had remained socked in with fog for a majority of the day. We went from 85* temperatures to 55* in about 30 minutes! Many people are commenting that this is one of the coolest summers we have had in a very long time. Night time temperatures are still hovering around 50* still. But for those of us that have lived here for a while, that's Humboldt for ya'!

It's Summertime!

This is a welcoming sight.
This means that summer is indeed here.
Officially that doesn't happen until June 21 st.
But for our family, seeing this trailer down at the campsite in SoHum (which is short for Southern Humboldt for those of you who are new to reading this post!) means that it is officially summer for us!
Each year we move our traveling home down to the Redwoods so that we can indulge ourselves in the warm summer like weather that seems to evade the northern parts of the county. When the fog remains as thick as a wool blanket for a good part of the summer months over the coastal cities, the inland valleys receive an abundance of sun for most of that time. So being the sunseeker that I am, I seek and I find. And I find it in SoHum.

Of course, set up takes some time. Seems like Gus winds up doing most of the hard work! The ground is not always level since there isn't a concrete slab or anything fancy like that. Sometimes finding a level spot isn't easy. It's kind of like moving furniture around in the living room.....it takes a few tries before you settle in on just the right set up. So after several repositioning attempts and Gus' eternal patience with me, we got it settled. Did I forget to mention how hot it was?

WM had the pleasure of setting up his tent. I had great fun telling him stories of how hard it was to set up a tent in the "old days." Tents that were made of 1/4 inch canvas that weighed about a hundred pounds, poles with no labels on them that had to be snapped together in just the right order to get the thing erect! I can still see the sweat pouring off of my father's face after wrestling with our old family tent for what seemed to be hours! I had to remind WM how easy he has it with these poles with elastic in them that only require a few minutes to put in place. He asked me if I had to walk for miles in the snow barefoot to get to school, too! Smart alec! (is that even spelled right!?).


And my job was to direct the entire ordeal from my chair. It had to look good as well as be level guys, come on!

But in the end, isn't this worth all that sweat and hard effort? We think so and I'm sure they appreciate it too!