Loon Lake Weekend

Loon Lake is a reservoir surrounded by granite in the Sierra's. From Highway 50 past Pollock Pines, you take Ice House road past Union Valley Reservoir. It's a good long, windy drive to get there and you won't have much cell signal, but it's worth it.

Saturday, Chris and I met up with our friends Jimmy and Yazzy for a picnic lunch and a short hike.

I did not hear any loons, but I think they make their noise at night, so I'm sorry I missed that, but the gnarled old trees, hillsides of bushy manzanita and granite outcroppings were so wild looking that we would have been loons to go too far on the trail. We went back to town and had dinner with Jimmy and Yazzy.

I'm usually burned enough by this time of year to not have to worry, but this year I haven't been out as much and I sunburned my shoulders and neck. My bad.

A funny thing happened that day. We were singing "Eye of the Tiger" while hiking and that very song came on later in the car when we were leaving Jimmy and Yazzy's house after dinner. I think that will be our new Loon Lake song next time we go exploring out there.

I also learned something on the trail I'm not at liberty to discuss, but I will update when I can. Until then, all I can say is that I'm really glad I have the people I do in my life. I'm honored bu and grateful of the presence of such wonderful people.

That was pretty much my weekend. I was going to do canvassing for Garamendi again this Sunday, but completely forgot. Chris and I had fish and chips and bread pudding at deVere's with our friend Dennis. It was a last night out after going on a stricter budget as Chris enters into his last month without income. It was a good weekend with friends and awesome food.

Tennis

My husband is an absolute gem. He's convinced me to take up tennis a couple days a week at the court at our apartments. I eventually want to get running again, but having taken a few months off, I know that this will take awhile to build back up to where I was when I stopped (fail, on my part, I should have stuck with it).

Anyway, the other day on the court Chris hit it over the fence onto the railroad tracks. He insisted I wouldn't be able to find it, which made me all the more determined. After five minutes perusing the oleander-lined fence, I found the ball and tossed it back over the fence without a word. When I came back around to the court I found my husband like this:

He said, "This tennis ball fell from the sky!" I laughed so hard and took a quick picture. He's one goofy mo-fo. That's why I married him. :)

Eid and Fun

Eid was an incredibly successful event put on by my dear friend and her mother. These two classy ladies know how to host a party, setting out saluna, baklava, hummus and other deliciousness for their guests. This was the largest Eid to date, with people having to eat outside!

Guests got henna, smoked some hookah, ate more even if they were already full. The last few years have turned this into my very favorite holiday.

It was great to be back up the hill to see friends that we don't get to see as often now that we live in Davis. I had a really great time.

Our weekends are full for the next few weeks, so there will be more gatherings and fun stuff to write about. Plus, with Chris and my Halloween costumes almost ready, we've got some planning to do for a possible sequel to last year's success. Stay tuned!

Tea and Life.

Well, I'm getting into tea. I've used loose-leaf in a tea ball before, but I've taken Chris's pot down from the dusty shelf and am giving it new life. It's a ritualized process, with the measuring, boiling, steeping and pouring. I need ritual. I'm very undisciplined and there has been a lot going on lately that has reminded me of the unpredictability and chaos of life (this year has literally been shit –fuck 2012).

Chris's grandma passed away recently. I've been reluctant to share too much about it online, but I think it's time to write about it. Her name was Dorothy Todd and she was an amazing artist, woman and grandma. I was welcome into her family from the first time I met her. I can't even say that about my own family at times. It was really sudden and unexpected and we're all still really dazed from it.

Leo, whose fin-rot we thought we'd cured a little under a year ago, got it again a few weeks ago. It wasn't responding to the medicine that we got him last time, so we switched to tetracycline, but it is more than likely too late for him. He's eating, but he's not swimming straight and he's spending a lot of time on the floor of his tank, often on his side. We've had him just 18 months. A few months after his first bout, I went into the PetCo where I got him. All the Bettas had it. I will never buy anything from there again and I'm pretty pissed about it.

So, tea. I got an ounce of Rain Forest Light Black Tea from the Co-op. It's a bit strong for me, which is what I can say about this year so far. That is all.