Michaelmas

 We had a wonderful second half of summer, and now that school started, we are getting used to our new routines. We were sick for a couple of weeks at the beginning of it, so I hope we are done for the year. It’s hard to be sick. 

The lilies bloomed magnificently.

On the 4th of July we went to our ward pancake breakfast and bike parade and then we got over to the Travis Marina to finish out the day by sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Our volunteer captain was very experienced, and it was amazing to learn from him about the Bay, sailing, and how the environment has changed. He said the water is much cleaner now than when he started sailing there, because the soil disturbed by the gold rush has finally settled. I found that hopeful.

This was a different day, but we finally got down to our favorite beach, the one in Rio Vista. I did end up regretting not bringing swimsuits, but it was a super relaxing morning anyway.

Just love this combination, it’s even better with the oregano blooming in the far background.

We went to Fairytale Town with our friend Abby. It was a bit hot that day, so the girls bought shaved ices. The crooked mile is still my favorite part, with the A-Z planting and koi pond following closely.

We also went back later to the Ruth Bancroft garden with Daddy because I loved it so much I had to share it. We were also there for a birthday party for Lord Richard at the Lindsey Wildlife Museum. That was a joy too.

I took the girls on a campus tour of UC Davis. We did the walking tour, and though everyone else in our group was a prospective student with their family, I really enjoyed the art, architecture, and plants. They have some beautiful cork trees there that are always a pleasure to see in person. The girls did well, and they told me their favorite things were the sculptures in the library and the snacks.

This spider came to say hello several days in a row, sow we ended up naming him Seven Legs (because he is missing one), and then the girls made a house for him which he jumped out of instantly. They enjoyed it anyway, and we learned more about jumping spiders. We have a lot of them in the backyard, but Seven Legs is definitely our favorite one so far. Sadly, he was replaced by a rival male a couple weeks later who we don’t find as enjoyable to interact with.

We took a visit to Utah, and I guess I didn’t get any photos except this one of a fairy hideout in the Butterfly Museum at Thanksgiving Point. We had a lot of fun visiting everyone and everything though.

The wind blew a section of our fence down. Sometimes I think I wouldn’t mind not having one. I did love our railed in porch in Arizona, but sometimes the fence here feels a bit limiting. It cuts us off from our neighbors, and is a bit isolating. It does allow the ground squirrels to have free reign back there though since it’s clear we almost never use the land.

These asters are disappointingly unobtrusive all the rest of the year, but when everything else is sleeping from the heat, they put on a beautiful display.

I didn’t want this garlic chive to go to seed, so we cut the seed heads and brought them inside.

There was a cat in our yard trying to catch the mole that moved in while we were gone.

We went to a Coverleaf U-Pick for peaches. It was nice to get back over there.

My kids call these ice cups when they freeze toys inside of a cup of water. They enjoy that.

This is after we watered a lot and reseeded some grass. We still have a few problem areas, but it’s mostly stable now.

We got our Halloween eyes up. The landscape crew really trimmed down the bushes and roses this year. I always think they look a little sad after that, and monster eyes are my favorite solution.

The girls wanted to go camping, so they “made” a fire on the front porch to roast marshmallows. They drew the flames incredibly well I thought.

We just went to the preparedness fair this weekend where we got to ride in an earthquake simulator, learn about hazmat response, see some guns, talk to the Red Cross, and get a few great lists to help us stay prepared. That was fun. The girls loved watching the cotton candy machine make its magical substance.

Then here are some photos from Saturday and this morning. I just planted some new anemone rhizomes and then put down a little mulch.