This weekend has been busy! We did a mad last-minute sorting of our closets yesterday for a mammoth yard sale today. My granddaughter’s AYSO team is going to a tournament in Florida next summer, and one of the requirements is that all funds must be raised (around $50,000 I think). It’s daunting but a good requirement because the AYSO motto is “Everyone Plays,” and by requiring fundraising, it also means “Everyone Goes.” So that necessitated lots of running around and moving of heavy things last night and today.
So today we have a short photo essay – My Own Backyard. Yes, I live in Bakersfield, CA. Yes, Johnny Carson used to call Bakersfield the armpit of California. Yes, it’s hot, dry and dusty. It’s a desert for Pete’s sake (whoever Pete is). And yes, we have the worst air quality for particulate matter in the United States. And again, yes, this is the place everyone goes through when getting to somewhere else.
BUT we love it. And we live on a lake. Here’s what it looked like from my balcony this afternoon.
The bush in the foreground and the queen palm are in our yard. This is looking toward the center of the lake, which has five “fingers.”
This is looking at the house across the lake. That’s our boat, the Go Boldly. You’ll note those things in the sky – they’re called clouds. We don’t see them very often.
Here’s something else we only see 5.7 inches of a year – that wet stuff in the puddle on my balcony. Rain. It did it overnight so I couldn’t appreciate it, but I think there is no other logical explanation for the wetness other than rain.
Later in the afternoon we even had some wind! Ok, a heavy breeze. but it made nice ripples in the water, and the late afternoon sun cast a lovely light on the trees which, yes, are showing signs of fall!
This looks toward the end of our “finger.” People often fish from the grassy area.
So, it was a beautiful day in Bakersfield, CA. And tonight we’re heading to Valentien’s Restaurant for the Beaujolais Fest. Have some hygiene kits to donate for the homeless, which gets us free French Onion Soup, and I won a charcuterie place on Twitter Tuesday (something the restaurant does each week).
I’m super tired, but I’m not passing up on the fun!
