Beware!

This is the time of year that the dreaded TOMATO HORN-WORMS come out!  They are those fat light green caterpillars about 2 inches long (or longer) that devour tomato leaves, and destroy the plants.  We had not seen any on our tomato plants this year, but curiously enough, we found one on one of our Jalapeno plants!  It was eating a jalapeno!!  I didn't think anything ate jalapenoes except humans.  Then, I googled tomato horn-worms and wallah------this one is on a jalapeno plant!

The tomato hornworm is the larval stage of the Five-Spotted Hawk Moth.  Both the worm and the moth are large, and I would advise you to remove either when you see them.

I have seen small red headed sparrow like birds diving in and out of my tomato plants, and I hope they are feasting on either the worm or the moth, but I will keep my eyes peeled for the dreaded predators.

The Fruits of Our Labor

Our raised beds have worked out well this year.  We have picked lots of veggies, with more still to come.  Now I'm planning to have a winter garden!

We have here Celebrity and Better Boy tomatoes, bell peppers and banana peppers.

This bed has zucchini, cucumbers, dill and carrots.

Just some of the "fruits" of our labor.

A New "Ride"

Well, after 231,000 miles it was time to trade in "Old Betsy".  Duane has had this truck longer than he has had me.  He loved the truck, and almost cried when we traded it in.  However, I think the new truck looks a lot like the old one, don't you?

This old truck was a real "work horse".  Not only did he use it every day for his inspection jobs, but it also pulled a 5th wheel and this Airstream trailer.

The new truck has a bigger Super Crew Cab.  Also, it is an F-150 rather than an F-250 like the old one, but just as rugged.  Ford made the body style of the F-150 more like the F-250.

The new truck is much quieter, not being a diesel, and just feels more comfortable---MY STYLE!

The engine is their new ECOBOOST Twin Turbo Charged V-6.  There is a video of just how powerful this engine is on U-Tube under the name of Ford F-150 ECOBOOST Torture Test.

"Psycho" Meets "The Birds"

We've just gotten back from  mini vacation up to a hotel in Mussel Shoals, CA, which is a little North of Ventura.  Before we went, I read some of the hotel reviews, and most were positive---"quaint, clean, relaxing...."  One of the reviews said it was a little like the movie "Psycho" as the rooms were "old, a little tacky, with lots of strange noises."  This review went on to say that they expected to see Norman Bates at the desk.  Since the hotel was right on a gorgeous beach, we decided to wing it.  As we approached the hotel we passed it on the left and went to the next off ramp.  The off ramp's name was "BATES"!  We went in, and at the front desk was a carbon copy of Anthony Perkins in his role as Norman Bates from Psycho!  Upon entering the room, we started giggling because the room had a back door which looked like it had been through the war.  You could actually see through some of the tiny holes in the door, and it was ill fitting----a building inspector's nightmare.  Duane could have written a book on all of the faults he found in this room.  However, we loved the beach which we could see through our very large picture window.  You could see the entire Rincon bay, complete with playful porpoises.

Our stay ended up being very pleasant, where luckily, we had an excellent restaurant right on the premises.  We had some memorable meals, and the most exciting was when a sea gull swooped down on a table near us and stole 3 pieces of bread right off the table.  It's amazing how big a seagull can look when it is next to you.  This seagull came back again and again during our stay and we named him Seacliff.  Part of the waiter's duty was to keep the seagulls at bay.

Here is Seacliff, eyeing our table.  We kept our bread, butter and any other food covered.  Perhaps he was unhappy, because the morning we left, he had covered our whole picture window with doo doo.

I loved this hanging pot of petunias, and plan to make my own one day soon.

Duane wanted to make a note of the pier behind him.  At the end of the pier, there appears to be an island.  It is actually a camouflaged oil derrick.  All in all, a very interesting vacation, with lots of fun things to report.

Silver Girl

I just finished a fabulous book, and it is definitely a "beach read".  Silver Girl, by Elin Hilderbrand takes place on Nantucket Island in the summer.  Even though I have never been there, I feel that I know it, because of the many novels I've read that take place either there or Martha's Vineyard.  This is a suspenseful story of a woman caught up in her husband's ponzi scheme.   The power of friendship, love and forgiveness are all explored in this fascinating tale.  There's a little something in it for everyone.

Vacations

We are planning a little trip up the coast (more about that later), so I thought about going back to vacations Duane and I have taken since we've been married.

One of our favorite places to go is Mountain Lakes Resort in Lytle Creek, CA.  Here's Duane beside our brand new Airstream!

A while back we discovered Ft. Bragg, CA in Northern California.  There are lots of things to discover there, but one of our favorites is Glass Beach.  Here I am standing on a pile of glass pieces that almost look like little stones.  Bottles from a trash dump long ago have broken and turned into these little gems.

Here we are on our way to Mazatlan, Mexico.  Duane and his friend Paul loved going there to do some serious duck hunting.  My style was laying on the beach soaking up some rays.

While in Mazatlan, you must visit Senor Frogs, a local cantina with lots of surprises.  Pablo and Duano are having a great time!

When we were first married, we visited Duane's home state of Wisconsin.  On our way to his home town of Sheboygan Falls, we stopped in Lake Geneva, one of my favorite places in the world.

When we got to Sheboygan Falls, Duane took me on a tour of his childhood haunts.  I wonder if Tom Sawyer encouraged boys to walk on the rails?

Here are the "Falls" in Sheboygan Falls, next to the old Woolen Mill where Duane used to play cops and robbers with his friends.

Back in sunny California, we visited Dana Point.  See the restaurant across the water?  That's where Heather and Jason had their wedding reception!  A beautiful spot for two beautiful people. 

Fun, Family and Friends

We had a fabulous day on the 4th of July.  Adam and Melissa came early to hang around the pool---and that was a great idea since the temp was up to 100.  Then came their friends and ours, Lindsey, Kevin and their baby Peyton.  The baby was a delight and provided much entertainment for the day.  She didn't fuss once and enjoyed the pool with everyone else.  What a doll!  Next came Scott and his family along with a friend for Valerie named Ali.  Those two jumped right into the pool, but Amanda, now all grown up, stayed out.  Since she now has her driving permit, she drove the family to our house.  When Heather and family got here, Maddie wanted to join in with Valerie and Ali.  Daddy, Jason, went along to provide fun and games for the girls.  Reese was content to throw any toys available into the pool, laughing all the while.  Paul and Jeannie brought appetizers----wonderful pizza cheese puffs with pepperoni on top.  Now a tradition for the 4th, Duane grilled bratwurst and chicken, and we had German potato salad, beans, and a wonderful rice salad from Melissa.  There were many more extras, plus strawberry shortcake from Kim for dessert.  Needless-to-say we were all stuffed.  To top it all off, in the end, it started to rain!  Very unusual for So. Cal.  It actually poured for a few minutes, but what a relief in that it cooled everything right down.  Unfortunately we were so busy, we didn't take pictures, but maybe a few will surface from Heather, Kim and Lindsey.  God Bless the U.S.A.!!!