escaping the Texas heat …….

Boy and his Girl

Local Jazz Concert on the Lake

It has been HOT here in Texas! Triple digits! So when it is hot….. seek water!!!

When lightening strikes …

This is the 4th custom home in our general area (5 mile radius) that has been destroyed by lightening (that I know of) in the past two years. Two years ago, during the first week of June, two homes got hit by lightening during the same 1/2 hour storm and they burnt to the ground. Last week when we had a storm we heard of a home that got hit and also destroyed. We did not even know that the next street over, this neighbor was also hit by lightening in that same storm. This is the result of that lightening strike. It scares me terribly. Coming from California in a populated area, we didn’t hear of homes getting struck by lightening. Transformers were hit, but not homes. We didn’t have many lightening storms for that fact. But here in Texas, every spring and even summer, there are NASTY storms, and all I can do is sit and pray during them. I am like a dog curled up in a corner under the bed when we have lightening storms. And here is proof why I am scared. If anyone knows anything about protecting your home (lightening rods or such) please let me know. I am not sure if the rods attract the lightening or not. I had overheard that this home had a weathervane on their roof ~ was it part of the problem, or just bad luck? So sad.

I hate to leave on a sad note ….. there are too many things to be grateful for and too much beauty around, so I want to share with you my view when I was driving home from work last night!

This is around 8 pm as the sun is getting ready to go down (the perfect time to take pics). The feed corn is all around our area now (with its golden tips!) Nothing like a country road ~ in my book.

Sweet Lemonade!

Well, here it is Sunday again….and yard work had to get done. My Sunday Date Days are long gone

… they will be back in the winter months. Too much to do now. It is Texas, it is mid June and it is 98 degrees! So you can imagine the thirst after being out mowing. I LOVE Simply Lemonade ~ and here is their new flavor …. “to die for” !!!

I have so much to show you that I don’t know where to start ~ I could save it for different posts, but it is on my mind to share with you now ~ so here you go!

First: we had babies! Baby birds that is.

…… this is dad in the tree, watching over mama on the chair and babies in the nest.
…… I am sad to say that only the papa made it. We lost mama and the babies to a predator in the night. The nest was clean and only papa was in the tree the next day. I am sure it was a snake. I was devastated when I opened the curtains and window and didn’t hear them. The circle of life.
All in one day: Sunrise/Sunset

Morning sunrise

Now, this is just the beginning of my husband saying, “honey, you might want to get your camera !”

He already knows I am going to gasp at the sight!

We had rain and so the sky kept changing that evening from light to dark. As I was trying to catch up on some things, next I hear “ Honey, you might want to look out front” . A rainbow.

Now I am on the computer ~ seeing what my blogging buddies are doing this week (I am way to exhausted during the week to be creative and share with you all) ….. so I am trying to visit your blogs….. and, AGAIN, “honey, sorry to interrupt, but I am afraid not to tell you to look out back now”

….. Oh my heaven!!!!

Ok, sun is going down, that should be it. Nope. “Honey …. I really think you should look again……?” he says.

I wish I could capture what the whole sky looked like. It was just an unbelievable night, and the colors were beyond pictures or words.

Good night sky.

A flower for you all! Have a beautiful week!

~Cheryl

please don’t hate me ….

to my friends in California who will read this and i did not get to see ~ forgive me.

i had a quick two- day jaunt to Venice Beach, California to meet up with my baby brother for some one-on-one time. he had work there and so i flew in to see him. it was precious time that we have never had together and a memory we will have forever!! just him and me!!!

i never liked going to Venice Beach when i lived in Southern California ~ a bit too, how can i put it….. bazaar.

though~ when spending time there, day and night for two days, i got a chance to meet and witness the local poor, homeless, drug addicts, mentally ill, vendors, shop owners, artists, and musicians. it gave me much to think about. we are all people from different backgrounds and circumstances. we should have no judgment ~ rather~ compassion for all.

if you haven’t seen “the soloist” yet (listed in a previous post). please do. this is reality on so many metropolitan streets.

so with all that said, this wasn’t the Santa Barbara, Beverly Hills, Ventura Beach, California Vacation … it was the opposite …. but i shared it with my brother and i wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. i love you Andy!!

and the award goes to……….

best duet

best costume

best mural

best graffiti

as my brother puts it, nothing is commercialized in Venice. everything is still run by mom and pop owners. this was home while i was there.

there he is ….. my brother!

it’s L.A., would you expect anything other than valet bike parking!

here i am. i never share a photo of myself on my blog, but i couldn’t resist sharing this mess

i had been on a beach cruiser biking up and down the boardwalk and to Santa Monica for brunch ~ can’t go anywhere without my reading glasses ~ i was cold in the fog and ocean air now that i have Texas blood running through my veins ~ wind blowing hair in my face ~one sleeve longer than the other. a real beauty.

Santa Monica

Hidden Valley – known by the white fencing

Kanan Road – Vineyards

need help here … any Californians, what is the name of this lake off of Cornell and Kanan?

a familiar site, and much missed.

i love you California.

xoxoxoxoxoxo