Joshua Tree.

Out of all the trips we have made to the desert, this is the first of which we have journeyed to Joshua Tree with The Littles. Typically the temperatures are so high, the call of the pool and water fountains prove too difficult to ignore. But not this time. Low 80s and cool breezes sent us on the hour drive to see the park.

Skull Rock.

The Cactus flowers were all dried but still on the plants, it seems we just missed the blooms by a week or so.

Still, lovely. Textures abound.

The Yucca trees are a favorite of mine. I fell in love with them back in college and still they bring such a smile to my face. The Littles kept saying how the park looked like a page out of a Dr. Seuss book. I couldn't agree more.

Around Here.

Breathe.

Hello from Palm Desert! We've been here since Saturday-swimming, napping, sleeping in, taking night walks and recouping some much needed R&R from our regular routine. I can't tell you how healing the desert is. It's only something you can grasp if experienced yourself. Such a respite when we needed it most.

Baby Bird.

I saved this little chickadee baby from our wild huntress kitty early this morning after she had brought it home to me as a prize. This baby sat in my hand trying to get its wits about itself after such an ordeal.

It kept looking up at me with this expression which I couldn't really read. Thankful? Curious? Hopeful? Safe? Fear?

I took it outside to release it and immediately this baby started calling to its mama or family for help. And I heard a response! Such a magical sound! I headed toward the area where the answer came from, all the while this baby called on.

The answers came from our neighbors truck bed! And it dawned on The Little Girls, Goo and I all at once, we know where the nest is! So we helped this other nestling out of the truck bed and took them both back home, they were hatched in the birdhouse attached to Nita's art cottage!

I placed them on the ledge and stepped back to see what would happen. (birdhouse on the right below)

They just sat there looking at us seemingly asking, "now what?"

Goo and I went back to check on the babies after taking The Little Girls to school, the baby who we first met didn't make it. Sad. It lay on the ground at the base of the cottage. A short life but with big impact on our lives.

The Gift of Faith.

Last week, my sweet friend Faith came to visit! It's been two years since we've seen her, far too long of an absence from her. Faith is on a friend tour across the United States. She has taken many long train rides and flights over the last month and a half, she started from her home in Jamaica Plains (Boston) and stayed with dear friends in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, now in California and will finish her trip in Oregon and Washington. I love her sense of adventure. Because her family lives in Central California, we are guaranteed a quick visit every couple of years, this time she came and stayed for some time at The Hut.

Goo and I met her at the train station downtown Sacramento.

Watching for her train...

This is a terrible photo (darn cracked lens...) but the first day Faith was here, the temperature was cold and the air crisp. So we had a campfire as soon as we picked The Little Girls up from the bus and roasted marshmallows.

There were special moments when The Littles had Faith to themselves, she told them stories and played reading games with each of them. My heart was warm and happy whenever I stumbled upon these tender moments.

Reminiscent of our college days, we both decided to try a new craft/art project while she was in town. She, hoping to select an upcoming project for her art students to complete and I, hoping to learn something to share at Summer Camp (more on this in the future) in the months ahead. We excitedly settled on needle felting!

Faith's owl.

My fox.

We shared a lot. Caught up. Laughed till it hurt. Confided in each other. My friend cup was filled to the brim. These types of friendships never grow old.

Saying goodbye was tough.

Goo keeps saying how much he misses "Naith". "Where is she?"

 

Faith,
Thank you for coming to stay. Your friendship means more to me than you'll ever know. I can't wait to hear where your next adventure leads. Thank you for reminding me about kindness and how delightfully important it is. You are an amazing individual. Star sisters forever. ♥♥

The Parkway Half.

On Saturday I ran the American River Parkway Half Marathon. It was a beautiful day for some intense exercise! Tim and The Littles came to see me start and finish, it felt so good to be cheered for by them. Before the race I ran into my friend Merry from up the street and her neighbor who run this race every year, so fun to see them out of our regular routine and meeting up sort of randomly because of our mutual enjoyment of running. Camino was well represented. The course trail was lovely meandering along the quiet river and at every mile marker there was a musical group playing songs to entertain the runners. My favorite group was the bagpipers! The race organizers also posted inspirational quotes along the trail to motivate the participants, I relied heavily on these little quotes with each growing mile. I was feeling good throughout until mile 11 when we had long stretches of blazing sun on our faces and shoulders, the day was heating up and I had hit a wall. It's amazing how much of a mental game long distance running really is. Those last 2 miles were rough. Also I feel like I started out a little faster than I should and so while my goal was to run the whole race without stopping, and I did, I was also wanting to finish in under 2 hours which I did not. My time was 2:05:57.

 

Tara and her littles came to see me finish, Tara was a big supporter of me in my training. As a veteran racer she gave me invaluable advice and also ran with me on my longest run (as well as other runs) leading up to this race. Thank you for encouraging and supporting me Tara!