This morning we drove to Thousand Oaks to visit my alma mater, California Lutheran University. Twenty years ago I graduated from this small university. Homecoming is being celebrated this weekend and my class reunion will be held on campus. When I received the invitation, knowing we would be here, I briefly considered attending. Reunions are not really my thing though so I didn't RSVP. I did want to visit campus and pick up something from the bookstore while we are here.
We have benefited tremendously in so many ways from my time here and the education received. It was exactly where I needed to be at the time. Here are a few photos of the always lovely campus.
The Luther Statue aka Enormous Luther
If you would like to know more about the history of this amazing statue and Martin Luther, here is a link: http://www.callutheran.edu/about/history/enormous_luther.php
Some of the many lovely flowers on campus.
If anyone knows what these incredible trees are, please let me know. There are lots of them where are camped too. The burls on them are magnificent!
Diversity Fountain and the unique architecture of many older campus buildings in the background.
But this, oh my, this is my favorite flower and there are many of them on campus. They were such a joy for me to see on a daily basis when I was a student here. These days, one of our nephews is a member of the crew that keeps this campus so breathtakingly beautiful.
How about this scene on our drive back to Simi Valley from Thousand Oaks!
And back at our campground, here are a couple more photos of some of the many awesome trees in this area.
This one, with its many burls, stands next to our motorhome.
As he typically does around Mother's Day, this week Rich shopped for, planted, and mulched the beds in front of our house. We keep it simple...here are a few photos.
For years we have selected the Blue Wave Petunias but this year changed it up and planted these lovely Burgundy Star Wave Petunias. Rich loves Marigolds so always plants a variety of them behind the petunias.
We have a large container in the front bed and select something different every year to plant in it. Our selections are rarely successful (because we're not attentive gardeners, you think?). This year he planted these Orange and Yellow Gazenias in there...I love them! The yellow ones remind me of sunflowers; at night they close tightly and all the petals point straight up!
We love both the flavor and the aroma of basil, crush a leaf between your fingers and inhale...OH MY! He planted these in a container this year so they are more accessible than when planted in the back bed. Actually, we didn't plant anything in the back this year; we're just not here long enough to plant much.
Spreading mulch over all the beds.
This task is well supervised by The Girls!
Marianne was here on Wednesday and while we were visiting after dinner she glanced outside and saw this...I would have missed it otherwise! I LOVE rainbows!!!
This week, of course, was all about Mom. She loved bright flowers like these from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and all the blossoms of spring. Everything this past week has been just as she would have wanted...her brand of perfect.
Spring brings the fleeting beauty of a variety of flowering trees.
Jonquils and daffodils were among Mom's spring favorites but they pass so quickly and this was the only shot I got, even though they were plentiful until the recent rainy days.
When Rich and I arrived back home Wednesday evening we were greeted by this lovely arrangement of tulips from our next-door BFFs. I LOVE tulips!
How lovely is this bowing bloom with its multi-colored leaf...breathtaking?
Come closer...just look at the magnificence inside this bloom.
This afternoon when he returned from working on the motorhome, Rich brought me these...oh my goodness!
Another week of shopping, shopping, shopping...for all those thousands of little things that you don't give a thought to after keeping house for decades. I jokingly said to Rich that we should give ourselves a new house "shower" and register at Target or WalMart...but I AM JUST KIDDING! At WalMart this week I did nearly have a meltdown searching for, of all things, a fly swatter (called a fly smacker by our Shelby!). Have you ever tried to locate lots of little things like that in these mega stores? It is an exercise in frustration.
Monday, April 1st
Monday evening the sky to the west was so unusual that it seemed like the perfect backdrop for a photo of our saguaro that Rich has named "Mickey Mouse." Have you ever named any of your landscape plants? After I posted this on FB, one of our nieces commented that her late dad had named his saguaro, Sammy, when they lived out here. It must run in the family! This is also a perfect example of what I love about FB. Since rarely does anyone comment on the blog, I would never have heard that story about Ted and his saguaro.
Tuesday, April 2nd
I still have PT two afternoons a week. This week after using that manual suction device on the edema that had built up on the inside, she applied this Kinesio Athletic Tape on both sides of the ankle. The purpose of this special tape is to correct muscle function and improve circulation of blood and lymph to relieve the edema. Through activity it gently massages to move fluid up the leg...somehow, magically, I don't know.
While I was at PT, Rich had taken the girls to the vet for a follow-up and all is well with them; the ear infections have cleared up this past two weeks!
Last winter we went to Filly's bar nearly every Wednesday evening with our KOA friends but that was yet another thing that changed while I was laid up this year. With many of the snowbirds winging their way back to their other homes, the outdoor dining area was nearly empty Tuesday evening. We both thought the food was better though, so there may be an advantage to going there when it's not so busy!
Wednesday, April 3rd
This was near meltdown day at WalMart. This evening we sat out front for a while as evening fell. The bird perched here on one of our ocotillo is a Curve-billed Thrasher.
Looking toward the west, this was the streaky sunset behind our neighbors' beautiful saguaro.
Friday, April 5th
We were out early (for us!) this morning to check out The Dump when it opened at 10:00. The Dump is a huge furniture store that is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. What you see is pretty much what they have; there are very few things that they have warehouse stock on because they deal in closeouts and overstocks.
After all that looking, comparing, and decision-making (yes, we bought something!) I relaxed with a refreshing but very chilly swim.
While we were out there, Rich took down a section of the reed-like privacy fencing so that we have a better view of our desert garden and the Superstitions from the pool and patio. Shawn had suggested that last Sunday; what an improvement!
Saturday, April 6th
While enjoying my morning cup of coffee, the birds kept me quite entertained. this is a Ladder-backed Woodpecker drinking his breakfast from the flowers of one of our aloe vera plants out back.
This Roadrunner is the first I've seen at our house and I was shocked to see it land on a small branch in our Ironwood tree behind the pool. There was another branch in front of the one it was sitting on and by the time I stealthily made it outside for a clear shot, it had flown over the fence into our yard.
After taking the photo of the Roadrunner, I shot this gorgeous Strawberry Hedgehog. They are in bloom everywhere! If you are ever planning a trip to this area, it seems to be the most colorful in April.
This is Kunu, the Hawaiian name for Chuck. Can you name that movie? It is from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and when Shawn pulled up the movie clip last Sunday, the name stuck! We were thrilled that the seller left him here for us. When Rich took that section of fence down, we moved him from there to his new home under this palm at the other end of the pool. Isn't he just the coolest dude?
Sunday, April 7th
I was so thrilled to get this photo of a female Gila Woodpecker drinking her breakfast this morning from another of our aloe vera plants out back. What a view I have from my computer at the kitchen window! I had noticed that both kinds of woodpeckers live on our property and with photos of both in this post, you can clearly see the difference. A male Gila Woodpecker would have a small red cap on it's tan head.
Much of our bird population lives in this Ironwood tree. It sheds its tiny leaves into the pool and is covered with nasty thorns on the trunks as well as the branches. That is why I thought we should have most of it cut down, leaving only the fabulous sculpture composed of its many trunks. Now that I see it is a habitat for so many species of birds, it has earned a reprieve.
See how incredible the trunks are at the base?
The kids came as the furniture was being delivered; they were so excited because we had told them we weren't getting any furniture, other than our bed and the picnic table, until we return later this year. That's what we thought until we found The Dump.
Oh yeah, a triple recliner sectional!
The Girls are so happy too! They finally have somewhere to sit with us.
Our new kitchen set! I love this table, chairs, and benches...such simple lines and a butterfly leaf!
Shelby and I swam for a while before dinner. Dylan finally joined us but no one got any photos of him in the pool.
However, Grandpa did get this short video of Dylan jumping into the pool with his feet on the green noodle...quite a trick!
Another incredible week in this fairy tale that is my life!
The first thing we displayed in our new house from the motorhome was this plaque. Sandee, Shawn, and the kids gave us this for our anniversary this year and it immediately became my favorite saying. I frequently mention that I'm the luckiest woman alive and it is because love came along and brought me this fairy tale of a life!
We spent most of the morning getting everything organized in the motorhome to move it, taking down the pet fence, storing the patio rug, visiting with the neighbors who will all be heading home over the next week, disconnecting from KOA services, and then moving to our new home. The girls rode in the car with me since Rich's bike took up much of the space in the motorhome.
Saying farewell to our neighborhood at the Apache Junction KOA.
Rich is totally thrilled to be parking the motorhome at our own place.
Throughout the process of buying the house, we had never brought the girls out here so this was their first exploration.
Bella
Dora
After unloading and putting away things we brought in from the motorhome and making sure that the girls were settled, we went to Target shopping. It's hard to imagine all the things you need when essentially starting from scratch.
From Target we drove to IKEA and bought two dressers to place inside our closet. I don't think we could have found a place to put so much as a box of toothpicks anyplace in that car with all we bought at Target and IKEA, it was packed. By the time we got home and had everything unloaded we were totally exhausted. There were still things to put away and new sheets to launder though. Later, we stepped into our front yard to marvel at the full moon over the Superstitions again tonight.
