Lake Oroville

We are back in drought-ridden California...and the stories are true. California is dry, dry, dry! As we traveled west on I-80 and other major highways, we could see how the terrain looked drier as we got closer to the coast. 

The sight that brings home the drought conditions, however, is looking at lake levels. This is a picture

of Lake Oroville on May 16, 2014 pointing east.

This is a picture of Lake Oroville, pointing west, (from the same bridge) on September 29, 2014. I called Gordon at the Lake Oroville Marina and asked how him far the lake was down...and he told me it was down 675 feet! He did not know how deep the lake was, but I know the spillway is 770 feet tall, so that might be some indicator of lake depth.

Look at the bare shoreline in the two pictures and you can see how much it's gone down since May. I've seen Lake Oroville low before...and that time the houseboats were lined up in a single file down the middle of the remaining water. At least there are two rows of houseboats now. We need rain in the Golden State!

Just Playing

What do you do after you've been driving all day? When you are tired? When you are too pooped to cook, let alone do much of anything else? Well....we went to a restaurant. Let someone else cook dinner...that's a good idea! Then, what do you do while you are waiting for the food to arrive ? We started to play with the coasters on the table. Did you know they can be used to make card (or should I say coaster) houses? We made a four story house...this has to be a record! 

It leaned a bit, so we called it our Pisa Tower...and in a nano-second it fell down. Before it fell, our wait person said that was the tallest one she had seen! She was impressed! I guess other people make coaster houses too? Maybe we should have a contest to see who can make the tallest coaster house. Are you up to the challenge? Send me your pictures. It has to be taller than 4 stories! 

Rocky Mountain Color

I The northeast "brags" about it's  fine fall colors...and indeed it should brag...but don't dismiss the fall color that happens in the Rocky Mountains. 

This is the Snake River Canyon on the way to Jackson. The cottonwoods and aspens along the river are dressed in yellow and gold. The red mountain maple is already gone...but if you look back a few days, you'll see pictures of it.

The aspens turn yellow, then brown then drop their leaves quickly. Their display lasted about a week. if you blink, it's over.

The yellowing leaves, the bluebird blue sky, and the crooked white trunks of the aspen trees make a beautiful autumn picture. 

We will return to the west coast, where it will still be summer, albeit a dry, dry summer. If there are autumn leaves, they will not appear till mid-October or early November.

Make it do!

There's an old saying...

                        "Make it do, 

                         Wear it out, 

                         Use it up, 

                         Throw it out." 

Here's an example of that saying.

There's nothing wrong with that yellow truck other than it has no front wheels and I'm guessing the engine is not where it's supposed to be...but it's still a perfectly good trailer! I'm guessing it will not be "thrown out" until it falls apart.

Vanity Plate

I collect license plates--well pictures of license plates. I saw this one in Jackson Hole on Sunday and I liked it a lot. I think you will too. 

Way to go Mississippi!

Autumn Leaves Part 2

The aspens are turning yellow. 

The maple are bright red-orange. The color is illusive as it will be gone in a few days. It's a pretty time in the Rockies.

'67 'Cuda

Remember this sweet ride?

Sleek and red and shiny?

With a back window that went on forever and was impossible to clean.

And this is what was under the hood! It seems so empty...but she was a speedy ride.

I love the uncomplicated instrument panel...

And the Solid State AM radio with chrome push buttons. 

With Black Naugahyde upholstery and no head rests nor seat belts, she was what every teenager wanted in 1967. Ain't she sweet!

In Memorium

A dear friend, Dick, passed away last night. He was a avid fisherman among other things. One day he and I went deep sea fishing in Ixtapa. He was so excited to catch a big fish! Another time, he wandered to one of the little lakes hidden in the Greys Valley searching for the perfect fishing hole. 

Dick, here's a little boat, just for you, in the Salt River, ready to take you fishing whenever you want. 

We will miss you, my friend. May you rest in peace.

Autumn Leaves

It's autumn in the Rockies. The nighttime temps are falling to the mid-20s. The leaves are changing. I particularly like the mountain maple right now. It's a red-orange color that highlights the south sides if the mountains. 

There are patches of red splashed across the mountains. 

The Salt River is still flowing.

It has not snowed at this elevation yet,but it is on the agenda to happen soon. 

Better

Each day I'm a little better than the day before! That's real good news. I'm still not able to bend or stoop and sleep in my normal fashion. Life goes on.

It's deer season, so the animals are smart enough to hide. I told the big buck who hangs out at my house to stay in the back forest, but I don't think he listened to me. On the other hand, one doe has decided to stay. 

I'm a little worried about her as her ribs show -- will she have enough weight to survive a cold winter and have a baby?

Recovering and an Android Tablet

Slowly, I'm getting better. My recommendation .... Don't fall...and if you do, don't break a rib. There's not much the medical community can do for a broken rib. They will not put you in a cast, nor will they tape you up...as both are ways to bring about pneumonia! That is why I was given a rib brace. The brace is helpful but now after a week, I no longer need to have it on 100% of the time. Think of a rib brace as a corset...if you've ever worn a corset, then you know what I'm talking about. If you've been lucky enough to have never worn a corset, please don't break a rib to "enjoy" the experience. 

In the meantime, I purchased a really inexpensive android tablet. It arrived yesterday. This morning I had a lesson from Ed, my android using friend, and I think I have the basics figured out. I will probably never be an android fan, but It serves my purpose. This fall I'm going to teach a digital photography course and some of my students are going to be android users...so I need to know how to use an android unit. 

My friend Phyllis called last night saying she was looking at a small Samsung tablet for under $200. I bought this little fellow from Tiger Direct for under $60. My guess....the Samsung probably has better support but for the price, my TD-cheapo unit is excellent. It will not replace my iPad which is about 100x faster (at least it seems that way).

Bounce Next Time

I'm taking a little vacation from my blog because I forgot to bounce. I was on my morning walk...and I tripped. Instead of bouncing, I broke a rib! I don't recommend it. It hurts. I'm in a rib brace and taking pain medication. I'm sleeping a lot and trying not to cough, laugh, stretch, or move. This is not what I had in mind for Labor Day weekend!