Cherry - Birthday Weekend

We took a SIP break and went camping at Cherry for my birthday weekend.  It was so nice to get out and breath some fresh air and see the natural beauty of our world.  It was way more crowded than normal and it was clear it was people who were not outdoorsy because they didn't know any of the regulations - including how far from the water line to put their tent and that there were no fires allowed.

The first night there, we had a rain, hail and windstorm.   It lasted about 4 hours and soaked everything.  Luckily we were safe and dry in our tent!  It was Astrid's first camping trip and she loved it!  She learned to swim from the shore and fetch sticks and she slept in a tent.  The pic above is of her the second night sleeping on G's bed.

We did some practicing of her commands - including this nice "up" on a rock!  And the "sit" below.

The wildflowers were amazing.  We must have seen 25 different types.   We also saw the river otter, newts, Canadian geese, mergansers and an eagle came and had breakfast with us one morning!  It actually sat on a tree right above our camp and did little screaches.

Our spot

Magic Fishing Hole

We caught about 15 fish thru the weekend.  Not a lot but enough to keep us interested.  

Magic Fishing Hole

River otter

The Ween was near the brink of death on the trip.  On Saturday afternoon, she had a seizure and her brain was scrambled the rest of the day.  She laid on the boat for about 4 hours with her eyes squinted and her mouth hanging open.   And to make matters worse, we think she ate something because she started barfing and got sicker and sicker with a stomach issue until we took her to the vet the next Wednesday.

We didn't pack well on this trip - we brought stuff for BLT's and forgot the bread and the mayo!  Luckily that dinner occurred during the rain and hail storm so Jim and I had oatmeal and G ate a bowl of top ramen and we called it dinner.

We also brought leftover pizza so for lunch one day, I sautéed some peppers and then eating the pizza in a pan in a little butter!  YUM - so good.

We played Farkle all weekend - and even Hops played a game - she came in 2nd place, while sleeping on the seat!

Hops napping after too much swimming!

Danish Dough Hook

Last week at work, a couple of workmates did a lunchtime learning session about making sourdough bread.   I have sourdough starter that I use for pancakes and waffles but have never made a loaf of bread because it seems so complex.  One of the things they taught about was about this tool that is called a Danish dough hook.  I decided I needed one and ordered it immediately.  It really works way better to stir the sourdough than a spoon does.  It is my new favorite kitchen device!

Eggs!

Tre laid eggs again!  AGAIN!  This is her 3rd cutch in about 3 months.  This one was much smaller than the others and she didn't dig as long or as aggressively.  We did think something was up because she had crazy eyes the day before.  Poor Tre has been working so hard making eggs lately.

Sad Sack

We call Hops "Tender Paws" because she literally has the most sensitive feet of any dog we have ever had, by far!  This morning she was hobbling around and we looked to see what was wrong, thinking it was nothing.  But the poor baby had cuts on her paws.  We are not sure how she got them but suspect it might have been from a rough surface from when we were out at the lake on Friday night.  Astrid has a little bit of rough spots but nothing like the sad sack!  We have to take it easy for a couple days to let her heal.

SIP Art

Based on a recommendation from my college roomie, we got some stones to paint while sheltering in place.   Grace and I thought it would be a quick project but it took about 3 hours to paint my orb and her hedge hog.  We thoroughly enjoyed the time.

We have to let them dry for an hour and then we bake them in the oven to set the paint.

Stay tuned for the final results.

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!