A well lit stroll...

Each year around this time, the downtown area of Santa Barbara is transformed with millions of twinkling lights. They are strung around all the palm trees lining State Street, as well as artistically arranged on the shopfronts. It truly is a magical sight to behold. Interestingly, the attitude of the strollers changes too, as the rush subsides and smiles emerge on virtually every face. Last night we partook of the holiday delight on a relaxed amble through the lights. As the temps have dropped in the past few days, we found the unusual chill to be an added bonus. I love this time of the year: the break in my work schedule, fun times spent with families and friends, the reenactment of traditions, and of course the festive Christmas lights. Holidays are life enriching. Hallelujah that they exist!

Another precious niece...

We are proud to announce the arrival of our new little niece, Klara Lorraine. She was born yesterday afternoon, to a very adoring and excited family. Yeah! It will be great to meet her in a few weeks. Congratulations M's!

A Zoom a Zoom Zoom...

Here's our new little silver rocket. It is a fun car, with plenty of room for me, a few friends, and my number one doggy companion in the back. Kyle is getting it all weatherized and ready for endless adventures. Hurray for 4-door Yaris hatchbacks!

Three's a charm...

It's official. We have become the nerdy dog parents. If you think a stocking is silly, you'd also be amused by the fact that I'm contemplating taking Lindsey to get her photo taken with Santa at Petco. Oh yes, I truly am going over the edge. Hahahaha or should I say hohohohoh!

A pictoral overview of our Thanksgiving weekend getaway...

Frolicking with other canines...

Lately, our life has been full of dog time. Much of what we do for fun now, revolves around activities that are suitable for canines as well. This past week Kyle and I did a lot of walking and jogging. Mostly we wandered around the neighborhood and at the beach, though we did go on a nice hike yesterday evening in the Santa Barbara foothills. So far, Lindsey appears to be up for anything and everything. She loves riding in the car, being active, and sniffing other dogs. Today we saw a completely new side of her as she interacted quite acrobatically with a young doberman at the beach. For an extended period of time, they chased each other and basically wrestled around. A clear victor was indeterminable as they flipped and tripped each other in equally astounding ways. It was quite entertaining, though only because they were playing and not really fighting. Aggressiveness is not something I generally approve of, however, today Lindsey made it rather clear that she likes to play in that way. Hmmm...Tomorrow she is getting spayed. I wonder if that will lesson her interest in other canines? Secretly, I think that would be great because I don't like violence in any form!

Learning new tricks...or not...

Having a dog truly is an adventure. Just when you think she has mastered a new trick, you put her in a different environment and she totally revolts. For example, today at the beach, Lindsey was sweetly ignoring or pleas to sit. At home she is slightly more obedient, though out in the wilds with all of the distractions, our commands fell repeatedly on deaf ears. In addition, her latest fun thing is to jump and bite at the lease. Though this is not a continuous battle, when she is feeling feisty, it can take a lot of effort to get her to stop. In spite of those mini frustrations, Lindsey has been a delight. She experienced her first major off-lease freedom today on the beach, which she handled very well. Her playful nature is kind of spastic, though very fun. We are having a great time with her.

More fire images...

Aided by better weather conditions and an outpouring of assistance from around the state, the fire efforts in Santa Barbara are looking favorable. The first night was the most volatile time, with lots of people getting evacuated and hundreds of homes in peril. Thankfully we did not have to evacuate ourselves, though as we were a block away from the warning zone, we were ready to leave if that became necessary. As we looked around our place for things to bring, I was struck by the fact that most of what we own would be replaceable at some level. It was really just our safety, important paperwork, and pictures that I cared about. Hmmm... Kyle worked the fire for a few days and got some very close views of the destruction. Here are some of those haunting images he witnessed. The reality of this situation is still very shocking to many people!

Another fire in our area...

Here are some views of the Tea Fire that is currently blazing in the Santa Barbara area. We can see it burning from our street, which is kind of crazy. Hard to believe another fire is rocking this area so soon. Wow! The bottom photo is an artsy reflection shot we took at the Mission this evening. Now that area is being threatened as well. Unbelievable!

Saving a pelican...

On our walk on the beach today, we discovered a wounded pelican. It was sitting quietly by itself, very still and alert. Upon further inspection, I realized that its wing was broken. I also decided that I needed to call someone for help, which is exactly what we did. After about 30 minutes, a couple volunteers arrived and took the bird back to their clinic. It was quite exciting, especially considering the fact that it may have been Lindsey's first trip to the beach ever.

Introducing...

LINDSEY, our newly adopted dog. The animal shelter thinks that she is a 2 year old golden retriever/collie mix. She appears to be rather sweet, fun-loving, and curious. I think she is going to add a lot to our little family unit. We feel thankful to have the opportunity to provide her a home and some valuable training. It should be quite the adventure for us all.

Our new best friend...

After weeks of failed attempts, Kyle and I have successfully adopted a dog. She was definitely hard to resist, as she is sweet, playful, and very beautiful. It's all very exciting! Here's a little preview of her. We'll be posting more soon!

An Early Thanksgiving...

One of the perks of living in Southern California, aside from the sunshine and citrus offerings, is our local community college. It offers a variety of non-credit classes for adults, at a very reasonable price. In the past we have taken craft, business, gardening, language, and cooking courses. Today, we participated in a very special class, which took place at Fairview Gardens. The course was designed as a way of celebrating the fall bounty and the notion of healthy vegetarian community cooking. Though we didn't learn a lot of new culinary techniques, we did acquire some delicious new recipes and inspirations. As a part of the class, we toured the farm and learned about some of the organic gardening methods. Then we collaborated on an early Thanksgiving feast, which was delightful. I absolutely adored the upside down apple pie, though Kyle was particularly impressed by the Happy Tofu Turkey. It was all scrumptious! Some additional highlights of the day were watching a mole suck a plant underground, meeting a new friend named Ruth, and squeezing fresh pomegranate juice.

Gleaning the harvest...

The local food bank has a program called Backyard Bounty, wherein volunteers go around to the various neighborhoods gathering the excess and unwanted fruits for the needy in our community. Before this program was organized, there was a lot of waste occurring in this area. The owners of the trees picked what they desired, and generally left the rest to rot and regenerate into next years harvest. Thankfully, a concerned citizen noticed this wasteful trend and decided to take action. He asked individuals for permission to glean their extra fruits, with favorable responses. This program now gathers thousands of pounds of fruit each year for the food bank. It is amazing.

Yesterday was my first day volunteering with the program. I had the good fortune of helping to glean persimmons from a large orchard in the hills. Participating in the harvest was a fun experience. It took me back to the days of old when I used to pick fruit with my grandmother. Being able to actively contribute to my community feels great, and I look forward to other harvesting opportunities.