I've decided . . .

that there is plenty of color in Big Bear. I just have to search it out and have eyes for it. Color in the west is subtle, & often hidden. It isn't in your face like it is in the South, East, Mid-west.

For some of those pics, check out this one by Linda. Actually, i don't know if it is her pic, but she has a gorgeous one posted. She's headed to Missouri to take pics of the trees & promises to post them.

And there are these by Lisa. The first one, actually, fits my memory from my childhood. That is what my heart longs for.

Isn't digital wonderful? I've taken about 100 pics in the last couple of days. I don't have to wait for them to be printed. I don't have to worry about wasting film. I don't have to get them back & be disappointed at the quality or the color. I just plug into my computer, load the, & adjust the color as needed. (For some reason our camera tends to "grey" the pics.) I can crop them as i like & highlight.


Duane keeps promising to get photoshop for me. I had it before but it crashed or something. I really need it back for it has a number of things i need (like the file i created to make gift certificates). I'd like to play with some of these things a bit. Pioneer Woman is currently doing a post where you "texture" pics & submit them. Iphoto, great as it is, doesn't have a texture option.

What is really funny is that Duane brought home a "draw" pad for me. I had one years ago but it eventually quit working. It is an electronic mouse pad & a "mouse" shaped like a pen that you can use to draw on the pad.

"Oh cool!" I said. "Does it have software with it?" He looked at me funny & then checked the box. No software. It is compatible with photoshop - which i don't have! Have had the drawpad for several months now. Waiting on the software. :) Duane & i are so very much alike - procrastinators.

Which brings another issue. I may end up driving the Trooper all weekend. Duane planned to take it to his Search & Rescue (SAR) weekend. Until yesterday i realized i'd forgotten to pay the tags. They are late. Like really late. I turned a cheap renewal into an expensive one by forgetting it. I was afraid he'd be angry with me, but he just laughed. Because, you see, SAR is filled with police & sheriffs. He said it's better than going to a CHP convention, anyway.

We often laugh at our timing. "Our timing sucks" is our most frequent thing to say. However, when we're talking about that we're usually talking about things we don't have control of (like meeting each other so late in life) or things that are random (like one of us going to kiss the other & getting smacked in the face as the "to be kissed" decides to stretch as the other makes his/her move). This, however, is simply Kathryn's procrastination & being stupid. (Being stupid sucks, too.)

So we checked into his being able to go to DMV & take care of that on his way down the hill. As a cost-cutting measure, the State of CA has been closing all the DMV offices a couple of extra days a month. Today, 16 October, all the DMV offices in the state are closed. So, i paid the thing online. But it still has to be smogged. AND we won't have the new sticker to add. So Duane may choose to take the Honda.

Correction, Duane will take the Honda. I took the Trooper in & it didn't pass smog & we have to make some decisions about it. It is old & wasn't too bad on smog, but there were some other issues. We'll have to make some decisions about whether it is worth it to keep the old behemoth.

Duane is going to be gone, but my sis & her friend, (male friend, guy, beau) are coming (probably) Saturday late afternoon. She may stay a couple of days & go back down with us on Tuesday. Also, the doc with whom i work is coming up with his family & some other friends (not staying with us) but i might see them.

I've kind of gotten used to folks coming to So Cal or (recently) to Big Bear & not seeing us. In my family growing up we traveled across country numerous times & we always stopped to visit everyone we knew along the way. When i first moved to CA & would hear folks were coming i'd be so excited - & often disappointed later when i found they didn't bother even to call. I learned that a lot of folks consider vacation "vacation" & don't want to be bothered with seeing people. I learned not to get disappointed, well that is hard to do. But i learned not to get excited that i might see people. If they show up, they show up.



We ran into Duane's cousins in The Village a while back. They were surprised to see us - usually only tourists/flatlanders there on weekends. But The Village also has the only movie theaters in town & we'd gone to see a movie.

So, i was surprised when the doc called me a while ago. They planned to come up last night but got delayed & arrived about 2 PM. The (probably) will come out here later this afternoon. I'm going to give them some firewood. I don't know if Duane will be gone by then or not.

Since i'm driving the boat - i mean Trooper - this weekend, i think i'll delay more picture hunting until Monday & take Sis #3 with me.


Off to try to straighten the house some before i (maybe) get company.




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