Somes Bar or some bar

Probably like many before me, when I heard people talking about "Somes Bar," I thought it was a booze depot of some sort. And because I like to let my husband plan our hiking trips, I had no idea that Somes Bar was a tiny town along the Salmon River. As an appreciator of DIY and handmade stuff, I was equally impressed with the Somes Bar General Store as I was with the mountains.

Before moving to California, this would have been my dream spot: hot summers, snowy winters, solitude, and a little organic shop for anything we couldn't make or grow ourselves. I still appreciate the idea, and if we had a few kids and were homesteading it would be nice place to settle, which is probably why the founders of the Black Bear Ranch (see the documentary Commune) chose the location. 

Alas, I have no desire to be part of a commune, and there is no need for modern Field Matrons to explore the country of the Klamath and Salmon Rivers on horse back (if the Federal Government were still hiring that position, I would be first in line! Read Land of the Grasshopper Song). Therefore, I guess I will just resign my heart to the desert.

Grand Canyon, Kibab

Double rainbow drive-by

Give me the Colorado Plateau...
some bar in the Chihuahuan Desert any day of the year.
 

Terlingua Ghost Town

FALL

fall is beginning. the weather here never really strays too far from what feels like fall to me, but, like the desert, changes in flora are the best hints...the redwood leaves litter the road

the cold rain and a need for fires almost transports me all the way to winter...

we bought pizzas for the cold and hungry protesting on the autumn wall street, admiring and wishing i could do more, struggle to get back into the swing of making things, i wish i could blame it on the weather but the protesters are sticking it out.

recently sent to Fancy Pony Land

call me mellow yellow

I am trying to sleep


Shuckers giving those abalone the what-for



Cafe One, 753 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA

Beautiful weekend exploring a new part of the coast with new people...yellow is supposed to be the color that makes you happy...foggy weather is supposed to make you sad...combine the two for mellow contentment.

Blogging Break

getting my yoga on, finishing up a seasonal job, and taking a hiatus from blogging for a couple of weeks...hopefully i will have tons of considerate new stuff to share upon my return

Ardhanarishvara (Shiva Shakti)

Oh So Pretty puppies

Customer appreciation photos wearing their upcycled and custom collars! Check out those working dogs work-it!

IMG_3971

IMG_3971, a photo by leathery&things on Flickr.

Desert Dog pretends to scope out the dog park booth, but he really is only interested in the treats on the table...

woodsy

 

desert dog and i went for a long hike in the woods, to the Devil's Punchbowl near the border of Oregon....the hike was hard, but seeing the ravaged and naked pine trees along the trail, with piles of bark littered with bore holes at the base, the effects of the  pine beetle--that was more difficult.

the agreeable weather made me home sick...not for any specific place, but for every night spent sitting outdoors with a cool drink listening to the sounds....maybe i am warming up to the pioneer California...death valley?...the rustic dreams of early settlers...tough women trying to make their way in the WEST...

...since those days are long gone (and i doubt i would survive...although desert dog would), i am thinking of picking up this classic book by Helen Hunt Jackson instead or the movie in Technicolor!