SIP evenings

While SIP at the cabin and in a heatwave, we beat the heat by heading to the boat after work.  We take dinner and stay out there until the sun goes down.  That allows the heat to decrease and our body temperature to cool with the cool air on the lake.

We even had TNDC on the boat!  We got to watch a sunset with friends.

We really worked all week on teaching Astrid to swim.   Of course she was apprehensive but we kept at it and this video is the first time she jumped off the SUP on her own.

New Windows

While I work from the cabin and G does school, Jim is tacking cabin improvement projects. The windows at the back of the cabin were old dual pane windows that had deteriorated and had film between the pains.   That made beautiful view less beautiful!

The siding was also starting to deteriorate so Jim replaced the siding, the windows and added insulation to the wall.

BEFORE

He also removed the wall air conditioner since we replaced with with a whole house AC

AFTER

The windows look great, the deck without the AC protruding is a huge improvement and I am sure the insulation will make a huge difference!  Great SIP project.   There is one more window to put in.   And then we will slowly start to replace all of them.

Tuolumne Canal

Now that we are SIP at the cabin, we made a list of "Fun To Be Had"!  On that list was a trip to the Sonora Farmer's market and a hike on the Tuolumne Canal (at the corner of Mt Elizabeth Road and Kewin Mill Road).  Yesterday we check both of those off the list!

It was opening day at the Farmer's Market and we got some great stuff - including amazing cherries and blackberries and something called a salad turnip, which looks like a giant radish but tastes a little sweet and a little like a turnip and you eat it raw.

Astrid got her first outing in over 2 months with a trip to the Market.  She was very good!

After the Farmer's Market, we ventured up Phoenix Lake Road and found the trailhead near the Cedar Ridge area and went out on a 5 mile hike.  That was the longest hike we had taken Astrid on.  She had a pretty steady fight with her gentle leader but kept up with everyone.  It felt so good to get out.

On our way home, we stopped at the Priest Station for lunch.   It was our first meal out in almost 3 months and at first if felt scary.   But we were sitting outside and the nearest other person was over 30 feet away.   Our server wore a mask and we had disposable menus.  It was great experience for Astrid because she missed 3 months of this type of exposure.   She stayed in an "under" the whole time and G purposely dropped food (including brisket) on the ground to attempt to distract her.  She was great and just looked at it.   She was praised and rewarded with kibble.

All in all a good day was had by all.

Honoring Mothers

While on shelter in place, my team at work does a "Daily Activity" to keep us connected.  Today was one gal's mom's 60th birthday and to honor moms, we all told stories about ours.

My story was about the greatest gift my mom ever gave me - her engagement diamond, which I used to make a family heirloom wedding ring which included my grandmother's engagement diamond.  I hope that is something that stays in the family for generations.

Refreshing

One of our SIP treats is homemade lemonade.  We have friends who give us lemons so we just whip up the recipe below and slurp it up.

Simple Sugar:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Simmer until sugar is dissolved.

Mix with:
1 cup lemon juice
3 cups of water

Adjust water or lemon juice to your taste.  I mix my lemonade half and half with tea so it is not so sweet.

Trouble in Bee City?

We woke up to about 25 dead bees today!  There was a lot of alarm on our part but it turned out to be ok...we think.   It seems to be just normal hive maintenance whereby they throw their dead out!  We will keep a close eye on them to see if there are a lot more, which would indicate poisoning.  Not a purposeful poisoning, but rather people spraying poison on their weeds or bugs.  Don't use poison/chemicals in your yards - it kills bees!

River time!

Astrid took her first trip to the river!  After her unfortunate fall into the lake the day before, this adventure was less dramatic.

She never attempted to swim but loved splashing in the water and rolling around in the sand.

Ahi is not a fan of sand or loud water so she napped on a chair - that had been set up for us!

Puppy Growth

This is Astrid sitting next to the same tree 2 months apart.  It shows the rapid growth of a puppy!  No wonder she naps so much!

SIP Lake Trip

We waited for the SIP to lift a little before heading to the cabin but headed up this week and did a Don Pedro trip to get out a little.    It is the perfect distancing activity since people are on their own boats.

The day started with drama when I opened the door to front of the boat (where Astrid is laying in the pic below) and she walked right off the end of the boat and sunk like a rock into the lake.   I screamed and Grace jumped in to save her.  She was scared but recovered quickly.   But she wasn't interested in swimming the rest of the day!

Astrid watching the world go by

There was drama later in the day too - when Ahi gave Astrid "a what for" and Astrid cried about it for 30 seconds!  It was a rough puppy day!

Astrid learning to use the dog ramp

Drew and his buddies came out to test out all the work that they have been doing on his boat.  We were there on standby to rescue them if they sank.  Luckily all worked well.

Astrid and Oakley - two beauty queens

Ween drying off after a swim to shore to go potty

Astrid practicing "bed" on the boat

Hops takes a well deserved rest after swimming

G swimming Astrid to shore so she could go "hurry".  She held on tight to G and did not want to swim on her own.

New Family Heirloom

I had a new ring designed and made from the stone out of the ring that I bought when Drew was born.  It is a blue topaz and is his birthstone.   It was in a setting that I no longer enjoyed, so I had a friend design me something new.  This video shows the outcome.   I love it!

SIP Pack

I guess if I have to shelter in place, this is a pretty good pack to hang out with.   We did a very early morning hike today and stopped to take this shot of everyone enjoying their morning.  This was the best that Astrid has done on a long walk/hike.  She usually starts losing it about a mile and a half in but not this time.  She stayed focused and walked nicely almost the whole way.

Beehive check

Did a quick check today to see if we need to add a super (another box for the bees to make honey in). The decision was to wait because this box is not built out enough but they are still doing very well.  The white part at the top for the frames is capped honey and the yellow part is capped brood - which is baby bees.

We looked and looked trying to find the queen but still haven't spotted her.   It's like "Where's Waldo" with bees.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I am a big fan of pineapple upside down cake.   And during SIP, it was finally time to put it in our baking rotation.  And - since we were doing a supply run to Jim's folks, I made them a gluten free pineapple upside down cake.   We usually try to bring some kind of home made gluten free treat to bring some joy to Anna who misses out on the sweets they offer in their dining room.

The next day, Roy called to say thank you for the cake and then Anna explained that they loved it and immediately put whipped cream on it which is how Roy's grandmother served it.

I had never had it with whipped cream and immediately tried it to see if Drew and Grace's great great grandmother was onto something.....she was!  It is delicious! And from now on, I will put whipped cream on my pineapple upside down cake and think of Roy's grandmother.

Sock Puppet

In order to stay connected, my team at work does a "Daily Activity" over slack.  Sometimes it's a riddle, sometimes it's questions such as "what was your first job" and sometimes it's just random stuff. Each person gets to pick the activity one day a week.  My days are Mondays.   On Thursday last week, I told the team I was going to post the Monday activity on Friday so they had the weekend to work on it.   That led to a lot of mystery and build up!   On Friday I posted:

Monday’s Daily Activity is to... make a sock puppet!  

   B Bonus points for a sock puppet of your likeness or a sock puppet with a backstory. 

If this activity brings stress or you don’t have socks (or other necessary craft supplies), you can:  

• opt out
• share a sock puppet meme or video
• draw a picture of your ideal sock puppet
• critique the other’s creations
• advise the team on the history of sock puppets

Introducing my sock puppet, Princess Consuelo Banana Hammock.   She is the Princess of Bliss Land.   This is a place where there is only happiness and joy and where there is no scarcity of TP, Pepcid, meat or tofu.  The people are always kind and helpful and the environment is full of honey bees, flowers and Labradors.