phebruary photos

It's time for another round of photos! Consider the outside of your monitor a picture frame and enjoy 'em.

This is a picture of where Chrissy works teaching English Language Development for adult students in Auburn. They call it the blue house, which, if your monitor is working properly, you will quickly see why.

Since the start of January, on Wednesdays we've been eating dinner and watching American Idol with my Aunt Tana and Uncle Barry (and usually we get to see Raeane and Jared, too). Though every time we've eaten something fab-u-licious, this time Tana outdid herself with a whole meal of variations on everybody's favorite appetizer, Li'l Smokies. Needless to say, my cousin Shane and I were more than excited and had more than our fair share.

Last Saturday we went walking in "the nature" through Griffith Quarry, an old favorite historical/nature park near Auburn. Go for the trails, stay for the great big hole in the living rock filled with algae-swamped water that has nowhere to drain. But don't fall in.

And here's a lovely dose of perspective brought to you by Chrissy. For those of you readers a bit farther north or in Central Europe, seasons work a bit differently where we live in Northern California. Here there are two seasons: hot, dry and brown, then cold, wet and green. Winter here is like having two months of the muddy pre-Spring season, then a month of early Spring, then Spring. After three winters in the Czech Republic, we are counting our blessings.

'Tis the sinister season for poison oak. For in these months 'tis naught but branches and only the tiniest of leaves. But they pack a punch---so don't touch! If you haven't experienced the fruits of an encounter with this shiny triplet, count yourself fortunate and scratch your itches without fear.

Chrissy the Triumphant. Joel the Hydrated.