lazy Sunday

Today we went to the big farmers market under the freeway to look for the Really Really Free Market but couldn't find it. But facebook tells me they were there. Arg.

But we talked to a really nice 99%er and bought Bariani olive oil and some organic pink lady apples. Then we went birding near Davis. It was good. Pictures follow. Snow geese, tundra swans, blackbirds, a meadowlark, raptors, LBJs.

Then we went to Davis to a cafe, and I got lemonade and a vegan brownie, and Erik got coffee.

Then we went to the Davis food co-op, where we got green noodles and vegan coconut peanut brittle (so good!) and a grapefruit and a stainless steel tea strainer.

Then we came home and ate green noodles, and I talked on the phone with R for an hour. It was great. I told her how I feel about goals. She explained meeting someone who she possibly had already met in a dream. She was making soymilk with a soymilk-making machine.

bird formation

I took pictures of this bird formation but couldn't see anything on the small screen but blue sky. I thought they were too far away for the camera to photograph. But here they are!

bird formation 2

bird formation 3

feathers

Delta of Venus bathroom graffiti

new saying

This is the new saying at Chez Erik and Laura-Marie.

Don't worry about breaking the drill bit if you already broke the drill.

an alley on College

Yesterday we went to Berkeley, and here are some of my finds.

a better view of the art in back

street art in an alley on College

graffiti at Tilden Park

graffiti at House of Curries

San Luis Obispo

Today on our way north we stopped in SLO. First we went to this cafe, which we loved. We drank soy mochas (mine decaf, with a shot of almond syrup) and sat in the little room on the left, where we stared out the window at people and a sweet little dog that escaped its leash.

Photo by Erik.

Tom's Toys

electric box

bubblegum alley

me in the alley

Erik in the alley

Erik on the bridge

blob ball

This sculpture is really called Web of Life.

home again

I am home after long travels.

chestnuts

Hello, friends. I am with my parents and have been for a week. A few days ago Dad and I bought some chestnuts. I researched online how to cook them. We came up with two methods--roasting in the oven or boiling on the range. I decided that boiling was the superior method, so I cut little x-es in the shells and we boiled them for 19 minutes. I thought they came out delicious, but no one else did.

Chestnuts, if you have never looked at them up close, are beautiful. The insides may not be too beautiful, but the outsides are, the dark brown.

roasted shallots

I roasted shallots last night, about 40 minutes at 400 degrees, I think, tossed with good olive oil and salt. They were heavenly.

birds we saw yesterday at Bobelaine

western bluebird
great blue heron
great egret
spotted towhee
kinglet
bushtit
woodpeckers (downy and/or Nutall's)
northern flicker
pied-billed grebe
fox sparrow or possibly hermit thrush
white-crowned sparrow
other sparrows
crow
avocet
hawk
(gray bird with tail tilted up like wren)
scrub jay
starling
yellow-rumped warbler

Bobelaine

Today we went birding at Bobelaine.

bee boxes

orchard

island

the sun

more sun

trail sign

more bee boxes

I have a special fondness for bee boxes.

Consumnes

We went to Consumnes two days ago with our friend A. Here are sandhill cranes.

sandhill cranes

our heros

Birders!

milk

I took this picture today on the way to the Book Den warehouse book sale.

goat

I made three ATCs tonight. Here are scans for your viewing pleasure.

Why is this happening?

The World

oranges

This morning we went to a new friend's old apartment to pick up oranges. He needed help with his apartment, which he was cleaning out. We ended up taking a poor-quality desk to the dump along with some e-waste. The dump was near Elk Grove. So we went to Loving Hut for lunch, which was nice. We had vegan cheesecake for dessert.

Also, I got to see my friend HW when we dropped off her bag of oranges and I got a nice hug. She wore a soft sweater. She is so nice and I feel so comfortable with her.

HH

Wednesday we saw Hardtraveling Hero, a friend from the east coast. We went to a farm near Davis to pick up his ebay win of Lego. Agitated turkeys approached us, the male all puffed up with his feathers out. They gobbled at us and moved closer. I was afraid they'd peck. Eventually we escaped.

Then we had Mexican food at a place we'd never been before. Hardtraveling Hero had all different types of tacos, including cheek and tripe. Then we went to my favorite park and walked around. I read Hardtraveling Hero's postcards, including the ones from Roswell, New Mexico with kitschy aliens. Then we went to the post office where he sent postcards, including the postcard addressed to me, the one I wasn't allowed to see at the park.

It was really exhausting and I went to bed early that night, like 7:30, despite neighbor noises. We have a white noise machine.

Kitty pics

He has a cute little tongue.

Kitty

Kitty

zine =/= zone

I tried googling a zine called American Puberty and google was giving me results that had "zone" instead of "zine."

morning at Consumnes

I took some pictures this morning while we were birding at Consumnes. Here's a nice one of Erik.

Erik

bridge rail

plants

web