adios to summer

Last weekend, on the eve of the autumnal equinox, we had a little gathering to celebrate the arrival of fall.
All the usual suspects showed up. We fired up the chimenea, baked some goodies, and roasted a few marshmallows.

(And drank a little wine to keep us warm) As you can see by the glove-wearing Suzie and Margaret, the chimenea's heat didn't travel very far past Tamara...but the patio behind Camp Cactus gets pretty cozy when you cram enough bodies back there. Caitie's camera was an endless source of fun, as we kept getting weird firey effects from the candles and twinkle lights.
We floated an idea around to put a gate between our back yard and the Petersen's so our gatherings could expand to fit the guest list...maybe some day.
I almost can't wait to celebrate the Winter Solstice, but I think we're gonna need more heat!

it's official...summer's really over

Well, that's it. Today really felt like fall, even though the leaves have only barely begun to turn color. I was up early this morning for a change, working on a photo shoot set in a rooftop garden of a very tall building overlooking the river and the mountains. It was pre-dawn and very chilly, and just as I was wishing I'd worn warmer clothing, the sun rose in all its autumnal majesty and reaffirmed why I love living here.

The change of seasons makes so much sense, don't you think? It refocuses our awareness just in time to keep us in the moment, to notice things again, and to realize that some things happen naturally and without the need for human intervention. I look forward to the shorter days and longer nights, and not just because I'm really not a morning person. I like the nip in the air and the chance to change my summer wardrobe to one I'm not so tired of. Of course it hasn't started raining yet, so everything's still pretty peachy at the moment. I'm sure I'll be waxing nostalgic over summer by mid-November.

There's also something a little sad about autumn, though: nothing lasts forever. Gone are the glorious long summer evenings, when the sun sets at such a late hour, and the energy that accompanies all that sunshine. I can see how people can go a little nutty in far northern regions where the sun barely sets at all in summer.

is this blog heaven, or blog hell?

Here's what happens when you don't think things through: you may find yourself turning into a sort of mental contortionist to fix the problem. It seems I was a bit hasty in choosing my first blog address. I didn't realize you could name your blog differently than the actual address it was at, therefore making it simpler for people to remember. Duhhh.

Sooo, here's what I did: I've switched "Buenos Burritos" to buenosburritos.blogspot.com, from the old address, campcactus.blogspot.com, renaming that one "Camp Cactus", in an effort to use it to put up news about my studio openings and current work. WHEW!

But then, you already knew that, because you're here. Right?

Click here: Camp Cactus to go there.

Oh boy. I really must get more sleep.

a day at the beach...

We just got back from a swell little trip to the coast...ostensibly for our anniversary (32 years! Are we really that old?!), but it was also a good excuse to take the pups to see the ocean for the first time. After checking out our room (overlooking Mo's seafood joint, and just beyond it, the ocean) we went down and turned 'em loose on the unsuspecting beachcombers below. Fortunately, they didn't run over anyone, but we learned an important lesson: it's useless to shout into the wind for your (mostly) disobedient dogs to "COME!" They usually act like they're deaf anyway, but still, it's better to be downwind of them so they can at least get your scent when they've run toooo far away, and conveniently forgotten to look back.

Loving nothing better than to run flat out at a dead gallop, Abbie takes off for the far horizon, with Cooper right behind her all the way. She's the adventurous one of the pair. It's not like they've ever run off and not come back. I had a dog like that once: my first dog, named Snowball...he wanted nothing more than to get as far away as possible. It just occurred to me that maybe he didn't think he had the idyllic life we envisioned he had. Anyway, these two crazy twins don't seem to want to escape so much as just get out some excess energy and maybe find something disgusting to eat or roll in while they're at it.


We finally figured out that if we let one off leash at a time, they don't tend to run as far. (it's not as much fun when your partner in crime can't follow you) When they're together, it's like they share one brain. (OK, they're mostly Lab, so half a brain is actually more like it) So, after a bit of chasing them up and down the beach, we were all pretty tuckered out and made an early night of it.

All in all, I think walking your dogs on the beach with your soul mate is way more fun than candles and expensive restaurants...just ask Abbie and Cooper.