It's a long, long drive up the 5...

Almonds, pistachios, lemons, cotton, carrots, onions... and more almonds...

Rolling hills, wind mills, brown grass, trucks, and powerlines...

heaven...

in the form of a granola ball?


(no bake) Granola Balls

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts or almonds)
• 1/8 cup dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup crunch peanut butter

1. Melt peanut butter, coconut oil and honey in small sauce pan over low-heat.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients (its ok if the chocolate chips melt).
3. Drop mixture by the tablespoon into mini paper cupcake liners. Place on a plate or baking sheet, and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Variations:
Add rice cereal, dried fruits or use almond butter instead of peanut butter, endless possibilities.


I've made this at least 4 times in the last week... a little overboard? Probably. But they are so good, and good for you, I can't stop. I had to share; try it, you'll like it.

Unexpected Henninger Hike

Love the flare

A Quick Retreat Up Lake

The Photo Trade: Eat Well

This is the photo I submitted to the Nectar & Light Photo Trade for August, Eat Well was the theme:


The cake on the right is this recipe from 101cookbooks.com (my favorite blog, hands down).

A Few Good Things This Week

• I wanted to run last night, ... so instead I made these cookies ... Hm. I need to get on the ball. But these cookies are "healthy" ... so that should count for something, right? It's almost like running... Well, nonetheless, it makes me happy.

• I went with some good friends to a spa to unwind on Wednesday. We bathed together, relaxed in the sweltering saunas, frozen in the cold pool and laid on the heated jade floor. Afterward we went for a beer and fish & chips, we enjoyed each others company, and laughed a lot ... It was a great evening, we weren't in a rush, the traffic in L.A. didn't stress us, it was refreshing.

• I have obsessively been watching Take Away Shows on Blogotheque... They are good for the soul. When I watch them it makes me want to play music so bad that it hurts. More than a show these are like expressions; they are enjoying themselves and really feeling the music. I wanted to share one, but I couldn't decide which one, so I will share two:

Beirut on the streets of Paris:




Justin really likes Architecture in Helsinki playing in Paris:





(...and so many more like Lykke Li, Yeasayer, The Cold War Kids, Jose Gonzales, and our friends Bodies of Water.)


Enjoy your weekend everyone.

April: "A Faerie Tale Told"

April's Photo Trade was a little bit of a challenge, it was entitled: "A Faerie Tale Told"

I chose Alice in Wonderland - I think mainly because I was re-reading the book recently, and I love it. My photos aren't literal, just small tidbits taken from the story - and in my style of photographing nature... So, I made it fit.


"All in the golden afternoon
Full leisurely we glide..."


"...she was considering in her own mind
(as well as she could, for the hot day made
her feel very sleepy and stupid),
whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain
would be worth the trouble of getting up
and picking the daisies..."



"...There was a large mushroom growing near her,
about the same height as herself;
when she had looked under it, and on both sides of it,
and behind it, it occurred to her that she might as well
look and see what was on top of it."

March: Green

I recently joined a photo exchange group. Every month we are given another person/address and we send them a photo based on the monthly theme - and we receive one in return. It's really quite fun - and it inspires me to get out there and take photos. This month's theme was "green", and I couldn't pick just one, so I did a series (above).

I am considering starting my own photo exchange community. So I am going throw this out there ... anyone interested in being a part of it? (No photography experience needed.) I want to do something similar where you send someone your monthly themed photo and I want to host a site where the photos for each month are shown. And I am possibly thinking too far ahead, but if this happens I would eventually want to print a book with everyone's photo over the months. Basically, I want to create an creative outlet, I want people to be inspired, have fun. Anyone?

Nearing Spring... Last of Winter.

Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am amazed at every season's change, I anticipate it. At the end of the summer I cannot wait for the season to cool our steamy, un-air-conditioned apartment. At the end of winter I actually look forward to that unruly hot summer.

Not only temperature changes, but other things as well:

The summer gets us thinking about vacations and fun, trips to the beach, being outside. The days are long, and even the nights are warm.

As we enter into fall, it is harvest, the vegetables change to sweet potatoes and pumpkins, we get ready for Thanksgiving, it is the beginning of the holiday season, the days begin to get shorter.

Into winter, the days are at their shortest, it begins to get cold (well, a California version of cold in my case). We imagine cuddling up at night drinking tea by the fire. The mountains are crowned with white. The holidays are in full swing. Some snowboard, ski, visit a cabin or play in the snow.

By the end of winter, spring is a relief. New life begins to grow. It is the time to start gardens, farmers markets are full of fruits and vegetables. The air is cleaner, the sky clearer. The birds are noticeably louder.

At the beginning of each season I enter in thinking: No, THIS is my favorite season. Winter is almost over, and spring is almost here (March 20th) and I am thinking: Spring is my favorite season.

Lunar Eclipse

This was my best attempt at capturing the eclipse.

Photoblog

I haven't really jumped back into photography since my wedding... almost a year ago! After putting it on the shelf for a while, I'm inspired again.

I am going through a little phase with nature, flowers, plants, color, textures... and food. I still love taking photos of people, and hopefully I will be able to take more soon (anyone? anyone?), but for now my photography/cookbook has been my inspiration!

These photos are an ode to Justin's parents' backyard... there are some interesting plants back there.