Sophia is Six...

Our darling Sophia turned six on Thursday and celebrated by spending an entire day at Disneyland with her mom, dad, and big brother, Jonathan. Family friends gave her an early birthday gift - a princess gown! Upon arrival at the park, she was whisked away to the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique for hair styling also befitting a princess. These are just a few of the pictures that Heather shared with us after Sophia's dream birthday!

They really are lovely to have around...

...the Morning Doves, that is! We've had at least one pair, often times more, returning to our little corner of the community each spring for many years. This past fall and winter they never really left, glad, it seems, to stay close to the feeder that we try to keep filled with seed in the side yard. They are also very, very fond of the bird-bath we created in our "Serenity Garden" last year. We often see one or more of them all puffed up on the edge of the dish after splashing themselves thoroughly wet.

In previous years they've been a bit too obvious for the dogs' tastes - strolling around inside the patio as though they owned the place, driving Sassy, especially, crazy. Sometimes we would simply let her out the door to chase them away, knowing that they weren't really that afraid of her and that they'd be back soon. But, this year they've been more polite patio guests, most often just perching on the wall in the sunshine, rather than strolling around down at dog-eye level. They ARE pretty to look at, and make the most beautiful cooing sounds. As long as they maintain a peaceful truce with the old blond dog, we're more than happy to have them around!

Back to Laguna Canyon...

A return visit to the Art-A-Fair so that we could enjoy an open air lunch at Tivoli Too was just not something to pass up. Arriving just as the restaurant opened on Tuesday, we were able to secure seats with a perfect view of the restaurant's garden and pond. Water cascades some fifteen or more feet down the canyon wall into a peaceful pool. (The restaurant is a favorite place for weddings, understandably with that amazing waterfall as a back drop!) There are lots of beautiful plants and pieces of statuary to enjoy, and the sound of falling water is all the background music necessary. We had a wonderful time!

A truly beautiful chicken salad...

Tivoli Too is a Mexican restaurant. But, it's one with a few other menu options, including a number of burgers and big salads. We decided to get two very different dishes and then share bites. Larry ordered the house special burrito which turned out to be surprisingly light and quite tasty. And, Margaret ordered this chicken salad, made with just a hint of curry and lots of chopped walnuts, served surrounded by mounds of fresh fruit. The presentation was so lovely that it deserved a picture!

The Laguna Canyon Winery...

After our visit to the Sawdust and Art-A-Fair a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at the Laguna Winery on our way home, only to learn that it is closed on Mondays. When planning our return to the Canyon for lunch, we made certain to go on a day when we could drop into this little tasting room.

We learned that all the grapes used in the LC Wines are grown in Napa and Sonoma (in Northern California). Once delivered, the entire wine making process takes place in the building we visited, starting with the crushing of the grapes, through the labeling of the bottles. We tasted three whites while there and came home with three bottles of Pinot Gris that we both really enjoyed. Larry was looking at the winery's website after we got home and learned that they have wine-tasting parties the first Friday evening of each month - something we may just have to add to our list of fun things in the area to do!

Summer color...

The foliage color on the canna lily we put in our water garden earlier this summer is so beautiful that we never worried about whether it would bloom. Yet, it has, and the flowers are like a lovely icing on the cake. And, over in the side yard, we found a surprise second blooming of the clivia, which usually shows off its flowers in the winter! (Possibly as confused by the weather as our callas - yet another big flower popped up last week, despite the fact that most of the foliage is going through its annual summer die-back.) Guess those surprises are all part of the fun of growing things, aren't they?

Just arrived from the Sawdust Festival...

Think we mentioned that we were considering ordering a new doorbell plate from the brass artist we saw at the Sawdust Festival a couple of weeks ago. We did, and it arrived, and we think it looks great! (Sure beats the faded white plastic cover that has been there for years!)

Not a big empty box any more...

A couple of coats of paint and the installation of Elfa Shelving from the Container Store and the new storage project is complete! Everything we wanted to find a new home for has done so, and there's still room for more! (I see a panini grill in our future, and if it comes with a waffle insert, all the better!)