Monday, July 27, 2009

a sunday afternoon drive



i remember as a child going for sunday afternoon drives with my family. i was raised in a pretty traditional home in terms of how we "kept the sabbath holy". we didn't really work on sundays (we weren't even allowed to do homework on that day); rather we came up with family activities that didn't include causing others to work either (no shopping or eating out). we often visited parks, went for bike rides and, of course, just drove around enjoying the scenery. i took for granted the fact that i lived in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

i was talking to a woman from victoria, bc a few years ago, who had moved to the same town i now live in. she told me that at first, she really disliked how everything here is so brown and dry. after she got over the initial shock, she found that eventually she saw the unique beauty around her and and she began to see the brown as more "various shades of gold." i have now lived here for over 5 years and i have to say that i too have grown to love the unique landscape. so, when josh suggested going for a drive yesterday afternoon, i thought i'd just bring my camera along and pretend that i was a tourist for awhile.



essential items: pacifiers, sippy cup and snacks. good to go!



leaving town, we passed by fields of freshly baled golden hay.



a small plant nursery popped with color, catching my eye. bouganvilla grows profusely here, but josh refuses to grow it due to all the thorns beneath the pretty flowers.



we passed lots and lots of horsies (tristan often calls them cows) munching on the golden grass.



and then we headed down this curvy scenic road, overhung by large oak trees. i used to drive up and down this road back when tristan was going through his nap strikes. he'd sleep in the car until we came to a stop, so some days i'd drive around for an hour just to keep his sleep deprivation under control.



about the time we drove by this rusty old car nearly blending into the golden landscape, samuel decided that it was time for an afternoon snack.



josh found a shady spot to park in and samuel thoroughly enjoyed some fresh milk on tap. love those ankle rolls. oh, and feel free to notice that i could have cropped this picture to hide the bit of belly bulge at the bottom. but i'm all about keeping this blog real, so there you go!



josh hopped into the backseat to keep tristan company and decided to take a picture of his feet as well.



and then tristan decided to enter his toesies into the Most Beautiful Feet Contest. i vote for samuel's purely based on the fact that they are the cleanest and therefore the most edible. i declined to submit my own feet for your viewing pleasure. because i am in dire need of a pedicure, so the viewing wouldn't have been at all pleasant. trust me.



once samuel's tummy was happily full, we kept going and passed by the street we used to live on. tristan pointed to this house and said "castle!" it was always easy giving people directions to our house..."just turn left at the mansion on the corner..."



driving back into town, we were greeted by the familiar sight of our eucalyptus lined main street. josh said that this is such a comforting view for him; whenever he's been traveling he loves to see these trees because it means that he is home.

as we neared the golden arches, the thought of 99 cents worth of delicious soft serve set atop a crispy cone was too tempting to pass by. after waiting for a few minutes in the drive through lineup, we were informed by a static y voice that the ice cream machine was broken. we said thanks and carefully backed out of there to see what we could rustle up at home.



turns out that a homemade frozen juice popsicle tastes just as good to a 2 year old...and its so much messier, which means that frolicking in the sprinkler afterwards is a sure thing!

11 comments:

Lovella ♥ said...

I loved the tour. . and the feet and the tightly clenched hand. Loved it.

Lori said...

Thank you so much for posting those. I haven't been home in quite awhile. Your pictures were good for my soul.

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Those trees mean I'm in Ramona to me. And I think almost all the guys who grew up in So. Cal and at one time or another were tasked with pruning those lovely flowering shrubs have also forbade them in their own home. A few of my friends heard their fathers swear only once and that was during a pruning job.

Christy B. said...

It's just like being back in Ramona! :)

Jordan and Breanna Abeel said...

I have lived here my whole life, and I am still not used to the dry landscape, I do like our rolling hills and oak trees though. Golden is a perfect way of looking at it!

Dena said...

great post. loved seeing those pictures of town, so sweet. nice feet, Tristan (not josh). we LOVE drives. take them all the time.

M.R. Tumnus said...

Thanks for the tour Heidi! Edible toes, mmm, 2 sets of them anyway. My favorite tree is the eucalyptus when we drive into your town. I love seeing all the different plants that grow so well in your area. Golden is a lovely color too. XO

Anonymous said...

sounded like a great afternoon, sunday drives........memories.... you can find beauty in anything! God is so creative..

oxxo

Z-Mama said...

I haven't traveled enough to know that green exists in other areas of the world. To me, our town is perfect! I fell in love with it again just reading your post and looking at the pictures.

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