And almost two months later, still here.

 Really, where would I go?

A recap: when we last spoke I was walking dogs on Wednesday mornings for the SPCA.  Still on that, sometimes twice a week, and the dogs are still quite lovely. A few of my faves got adopted, which is the point of a humane shelter, but some of those I miss.  Some dogs have a slim chance of being adopted because of their size and their temperament, but we are always hopeful someone will come along and love that dog no matter what.

Still baking breakfast breads at the small Guerneville hotel, usually about 8 hours a week, sometimes more when it's really busy, like now.  With the heat we are now experiencing, which is brutal, I try to bake 8-10 loaves at home, early in the morning, then go to work very early the next day and bake for 5 hours so I can be done before the kitchen gets way too hot. Then I come home and get in the pool and cool off.  Not a bad gig.

Took a road trip to Southern California in May to see two of my brothers and their mates. Driving all the way down on Hwy. 101 was such a treat, easy driving, little traffic and wildflowers galore.  It had been years since I took that route, usually going down 5 which is pathetically ugly and boring, so the 101 corridor was a joy.  I had forgotten that parts of the highway are just yards away from the ocean and one can get out and stretch one's legs on the beach.  Stayed a night in Redondo Beach, where I spent my wicked formative teenage years, and checked out the beach there as well.  It was a quick trip but so well worth it.  Last week I took a road trip to Eugene, Oregon for a party with my kids' Dad and his wife, which was fun. Easy drive, the highlight had to be seeing Mt. Shasta in all its glory, standing tall and proud and still snow-covered, its lake fuller than I have seen it in years.

That's the lot of it, sad to say. As much as I want to get out of town and go somewhere, like New Orleans or Boston or Chicago, just to be a tourist and wander about, the weather in the US has not been cooperative.  Too hot or too stormy or flooded or too crowded.  I fear that this hot weather is going to hold for another month or so.  Which means, of course, more doing nothing.  Right now it is over 95 degrees outside and that is simply too hot for me.  I am not one who tolerates that kind of heat, even if it just means strolling through a shady park.  My strolling is done before 9:00 am.  After that, forget about it.

OK, that's it for now.  Will try and be more creative and write something more interesting soon.  Very soon.

Sun 16 | Day

98°

1%

SSW 8 mph

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 98F.