I love this time of year…
Merry Christmas, 2007
Fallbrook Stream and Pico Promenade
My new studio sits on the edge of Fallbrook Stream which runs through town. I always seem to end up near water! Growing up our house in Elevado Heights in Vista was on a stream, and we built forts and would play all day down there. It ran year-round, since our neighbors were so fond of watering their lawns and groves, and that water had to go somewhere. My grandmother still lives on a stream up in Idyllwild. My brother lives on Constant Creek here in Fallbrook. My last two homes were right on streams. It’s definitely a recurring theme in my family!
A decade ago the town decided to create a mini park and walking path along the edge of Fallbrook Stream, and the Pico Promenade runs the three blocks from Major Market to my studio on Elder. It’s like a secret haven in the middle of town, and most people drive right by without ever walking it – but if you take the time to stop and get out of your car, it’s a beautiful spot!
I wrote yesterday about people coming to my blog expecting to find photos of wildlife, and what do you know, today I saw some! This Egret is just a baby. There’s a huge Egret that spends time every year near my brother’s house, and this one was maybe a third the size of that bird – but he was so incredibly white and just beautiful. And not a bit scared of me. I watched him use one foot to stir up the mud in the stream, and then swoop in with his beak to grab and eat whatever it was he was finding. And he ate a lot of whatever it was – so it must have been good! I was surprised the first time I saw an Egret in Fallbrook – I had no idea they would come so far inland. But I’ve heard since then that they nest in tall trees and feed in shallow water, so Fallbrook is actually a pretty perfect place for an Egret. I think they’re most beautiful in flight, since they’re so long and elegant.
The light was really pretty this afternoon – it made everything glow.
This must be a magical puddle! It was glistening and glowing, and it reminded me of a fairy tale…
The old Fruit Packing Plant used to be right on the stream, and this window is part of the new wall surrounding the property. If the entire renovation turns out as pretty as the wall has, the building could be stunningly beautiful.
Bogenvia blooms along the pathway…
This last image expresses how I felt today – bright blue skies, and beautiful colors. Everything is right with the world on a day like today!
How did you get here?
I always get a kick out of the search terms people use to find this site. Most are of course photography-related – and there are a lot that are music or model-related as well. I also get hits for Trashing the Dress and Rock Star and INXS and Lukas Rossi – all of which I’d expect.
But then there are some just plain fun ones! Like all the people searching for a red clawfoot bathtub – who knew it was such a sought after item? I love mine – I mean I did blog about it! But there are dozens of people every month that find this blog, because they’re looking for a red tub. This last month I mentioned jack rabbits and mountain lions and I’m now getting hits related to that kind of wildlife. If that’s what you’re looking for – sorry! All I did was mention them, there’s not really much here on either animal. I also get hits for simple modern desk or a variation of that – and yeah, I do have one, but no photos of it posted yet.
But the most interesting to me this month are the searches for “sold rockband.com” or “rockband.com sold for” or “rockband.com domain name.” The game was released this month, and the domain name has been splashed all over the media and in their ads, so it’s no wonder there’s some interest right now. But wow! There are a lot of mighty curious people out there!
Fallbrook Christmas Parade
The night of the Fallbrook Christmas Parade may be my favorite night of the whole holiday season. There’s just nothing like a night parade in your hometown! The parade is always huge – I think there’s an unspoken rule that every kid in town must march in it, or sit on a float, or at the very least, watch it! There were 120 different entries this year – several bands, lots of floats, horses, and goats, and dogs, and ponies, and even the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. And not a drop of rain! It rained on and off for most of the 24-hours before the parade, and finally stopped less than 2 hours before the parade started.
The loudest cheers were for the firefighters. It was incredibly moving to stand among my neighbors and clap and cheer for those who saved our town last month. There was a lot of gratitude expressed on Main Street tonight. We were very fortunate – and we know it – and it felt good to express it!
Rain Clouds
Rain! Nearly two inches in less than 24-hours. The grey skies finally broke this afternoon and the sun shone through briefly, and then the rain started again. I’m not complaining! We definitely need it.
I took a walk down by the stream yesterday, during the middle of a downpour and skipped over puddles and watched the stream swirl through town on it’s way out to the ocean. Everything smelled wonderful and fresh and new!