Beach was a Bust

I was so excited to do a beach trip. I've been wanting to go for a while now and just never did it on my own. My sister calls me and says, "Let's do a bike ride and go to the beach"...YES!!!!

Well, at the beginning of our journey we got off on a tangent and went a different way she was used to and ended up starting in the wrong place. Then, we just flew by the seat of our pants and went on an adventure. This is par for the course. By the time we actually got to the beach, we had already driven for what seemed like miles.

It was beautiful sunshiney weather at home in Thousand Oaks, but the beach in Ventura was pretty fogged in. Still, we had a good ride and I got some decent pics. Let's see if I can fill up an entire blog with what I got. If not, I will improvise. Sort of like our bike ride.

This was one of our wrong turns. No bike path here, but a good photo op, nonetheless.

Love on the Beach

He Walks Alone

On the bike path but, not at the beach.

Pretty Palms

We came upon this pocket of shade with a cool path among brightly colored Nasturtiums.

A Meandering Path

Bright Nasturtiums

Just Opening Up

A Cluster of Orange

Casting Shadows

Starburst

Double Delight

 Then back on the beach. This is where we stopped and took some pics.

Mossy Rocks

Sea Weed

Rocky Shores

Slippery When Wet

Surfer on a Rocky Beach

Calling it a Day

Going for a Ride

Then it was time to head back to the car.

Pockets of Fog

A Foggy Pier

Catch a Wave

On our way home we spied an old cemetery just off the freeway. My sister commented that she had gone there to take pictures before. "Cool", I said. "Do you want to go?", she asked. "Sure!" I replied, and with a quick sharp right turn, we were there. I only took a few pics and only up close...don't know why.

Love the Flower Work

Pretty Headstone 

Beautiful Carving

Patina

Then, we were off to lunch or home...I can't remember. It was a fun day.

A Nod to Nancy

It is now spring. That means it is time for planting a garden. Digging up some dirt and seeing what I can grow and put on the table. My winter garden was a bit of a bust, but I assumed that was going to happen when I planted it two months late. We did get a new garden plot, one dinner of broccoli, a tiny, but tasty, head of cabbage and some pretty greenery to water...not much else.

So, the other day I got a message from Nancy, one of my mother-in-laws, telling me that I needed to take some pictures of potatoes...HUH??? "Kinda boring", I told her, "unless they're shaped like Elvis or something." Although, I had taken some pictures of the going-to-seed broccoli that morning, I didn't think they were post-worthy at that point.

Apparently, in her dog food preparing ritual of peeling, cutting and cooking 10 pounds of potatoes every few days, Nancy came across a "giraffe" in one of her potatoes. Really? A giraffe??? I guess if you are continually working with organic things, you are bound to find some oddities of nature every once in a while. "Well, that IS interesting!", I said. "Send me the pics!"

I quickly thought of about five pics I had on hand to put together for a blog and the wheels were turning in my head to figure out what other shots I could take that would round it out. So here is my ode to the vegetable and it's garden. Maybe a couple of fruits, too.

This is quite a big vegetable garden.

Rows

And sometimes they need a little dusting

Can I get one of these for my yard?

When I got Nancy's potato pic, I thought it looked like the giraffe from Madagascar. So I whipped up this side-by-side comparison.

Potato Giraffe

I actually had a different potato pic that I could use. This was taken after dinner when we were on vacation in Avila Beach. Billy got creative and made...

Mashed Homer

I stole this pic from my Aunt Maryellen. I thought it was too cute.

Potato Face

Then, Bonnie, my other mother-in-law, pointed out this potato while we were at Disneyland. I'm noticing a trend here. There is something about potatoes and faces.

Mr. Potato Head

Gardening tools make me smile, how about you?

A Happy Little Guy

Here's my first attempt at cabbage.

I may be little, but packed with flavor

And speaking for flavor, everybody needs to add a little spice to your life.

Hey, I know her!!

The garden's nemesis

Billy, put down your  BB Gun!!

My first little tomato offering of the year.

Juicy and Sweet

Chinese Eggplant

Some tools of the trade.

Snap Peas

Just a Little Gherkin at this Point

Fruits

Not quite ready yet

From farm to market

A Wide Variety

Serve it Up

Pumpkin Pie on the Vine

My grape vines look like they are going to produce well this year.

A First Bud

Freshly Picked

In our yard we have plums, lemons, grapes, blackberries, figs, strawberries and assorted veggies and herbs. Let's see what we yield this year.

And Then She Walked Along the Shore

This is part two of my camping weekend blog. The first blog - Miss Me??? - was the fun pictures of our zany little family at play. This segment shows the more sophisticated side of camping. It's the morning walks along the lake shore, scavenging for interesting things to photograph. I thought the pictures would be just like the last camping trip, since we were in the same spot, but the lake has changed even from October. Sadly, the water level still continues to go down and the shore moves out further and further. I actually did add some from last trip that I never shared.

Some days were foggy and mystical.

Misty Morning

On The Rocks

Lonely Boats

The Fog

Eerie Tree

A Quiet Cove

Ducks on the Wing

A Gray Day

Then others were clear and crisp.

Shades of Blue

A Super Stick

A Beautiful Silhouette 

Fallen Log

An Old Mooring

Finding finds

Buried Treasure

Birds of a Feather

A Mountain on a Rock

An Eel Eating Seaweed?

Different Graffiti

Mud Packed on Rock

Purple Shells

One man's trash...

Is Another Girl's Art

Black and White Tin

I also took several shots of the beautiful trees around our campsite and played with different editing styles for interest.

Beautiful Tree

A Natural Archway

Veins and Arteries

Like a Pencil Drawing

Road to Nowhere

I do enjoy my walks in nature.