A Year of Pix

7/31: The Mother of all Pressure Canners

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

In preparation for a bumper harvest that never quite panned out, I purchased the Mother of All Pressure Canners. As you can see, it's large enough to pressure can your average terrier.

The latest from Two Terrier Vineyards here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/08/02/whatsoever-a-man-soweth-t...

7/26: The Bean in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:13:00 +0000

My Flickr Buddy, Kingdufus, took me on his patented Chicago Architectural Tour which took you around the South Side; into buildings to marvel at grand staircases, carvings and lamps; to underground to see the inner workings of the city; and included his personal rants on everything from Mayor Daley to sidewalk cafes to Donald Trump.

The story here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/07/28/toddlin-through-chicago-w...

07/23: Millennium Park in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:18:00 +0000

I'm in Chicago for BlogHer '09. Conference hasn't even started and it's already an adventure.

And on Sunday, I'm meeting up with 365 Flickr Buddy, Kingdufus!

The post here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/07/23/wow-chicago-is-not-like-s...

7/18: Exploded Thermometer

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:35:00 +0000

It was so hot in Sonoma yesterday, it broke the thermometer. Which was in the shade. It's hotter today. Seriously.

Andy says when we buy a new thermometer, it needs to have a HTF reading, which is a British scale of temperature which stands for "Hotter Than F*ck".

Read about it here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/07/18/we-will-resume-our-regula...

07/13: Language Immersion

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Little Amelia May helping me with my Spanish homework.

It was a day of much drama:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/07/13/language-immersion-and-lo...

07/12: Scotch Andrew with his Medal

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:57:00 +0000

Our friend Scotch Andrew did the Alcatraz Challenge this morning -- swimming from the prison to the shore of San Francisco.

I've got pictures of him running up the beach, but I like this one best. This was where he was telling us about his swim: "So then a Great White grabbed my leg, but I fought him off and kept swimming."

The story here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/07/12/scotch-andrew-escapes-fro...

06/21: Dragonflies Mating

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:25:00 +0000

The mid-June farm report here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/06/21/farm-report-wrap-up/

06/18: The Hills Above Mission San Jose

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:29:00 +0000

At Mission San Jose (Fremont).

Yes, I've ticked another California Mission off my list. The story here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/06/20/the-mission-mission-missi...

06/14: From the Insectarium to the Sky

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Our motto, I guess.

This was Bear Flag Weekend in Sonoma. It would have been better with drunken miners.

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/06/14/of-bear-flags-and-drunken...

06/13: The Obama Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:13:00 +0000

Walking along our trails, Andy looked up and said, "We could carve Obama's face in this rock and have our own mini Mount Rushmore."

Note, Republicans, this suggestion did NOT come from the life-long Democrat. It came from an Englishman, who is not a US citizen and who is a confirmed Capitalist. But I wouldn't mind this plan. We could invite Barack, Michelle and the kids for a barbecue. Organic, free-range Sonoma beef and Two Terriers tomatoes and corn. We have plenty. As I don't think Eric Clapton will be stopping by any time soon.

06/07: Lavender Fields Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Looks like we're going to have a bumper lavender crop this year. I better accelerate investigation into getting a stall at the Sonoma Farmer's Market.

The Farm Report here: leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/06/06/the-farm-report-digest/

06/06: Priorities Straight

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:41:00 +0000

Forget winemaking. The vines are now bushy enough to shade a hot terrier.

The latest farm report from Two Terrier Vineyards here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/06/06/the-farm-report-digest/

05/24: The Sniff Test

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:39:00 +0000

The wine is coming along swimmingly. In fact, it's passed that important sniff test. The latest farm report from Two Terrier Vineyards here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/06/06/the-farm-report-digest/

05/23: Dew on Grapevines

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:28:00 +0000

We've had some really heavy fogs in the past two mornings in Sonoma. By midmorning, the dew was still on the vines.

By the way, we've got two farms going now. One has the vineyards and is a on the verge of becoming a surprising success. The other, not so much. Call it Stumblebum Farm.

Read about it here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/05/23/a-tale-of-two-farms/

05/22: Matija Poppy

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:25:00 +0000

We call it a Fried Egg Flower.

5/17: How About That Heat?!

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:13:00 +0000

We're having a heat wave in Northern California. Eighty five degrees in San Francisco and near 100 in Sonoma where we spent the weekend. Here's Little A with a neat solution: a cold, wet washcloth to the head.

5/16: Pink is for Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:22:00 +0000

At the car cruise, we found the perfect car for Amelia May. This Studebaker matches all the pink clothes her English granny keeps sending her. And if she has any of her father's genes, only a classic car will do for Miss A.

Petaluma, California's annual Salute to American Graffiti (which was filmed in the town.)

The full story here.

5/15: Lavender by Moonlight

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:29:00 +0000

It was The Blue Hour, just after the sun set and I came across this mass of blueness, a few varieties of lavender. These are not our oil lavender, but some native lavender we've planted near the vineyards to attract beneficial insects for biodynamic pest control.

5/9: He Bows to a Different Horse Power

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Caught up with this little tyke at Horse-O-Rama, a community rodeo event I MC'd (I was volunteered by my mother, much to my surprise, knowing next to nothing about rodeo events!)

Read more about it here.

4/22: Chairs of Art Through American History

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:08:00 +0000

And what chair more artful than the stroller that holds the World's Most Beautiful Baby?

The highlight was The World's Most Beautiful Baby's first trip to this museum. But she's an old museum hand by now:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/04/22/de-young-museum-exhibits-...

4/19: Pacific Giant Salamander

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:52:00 +0000

At least we think that's what's swimming down in our creek.
If Wikipedia can be believed, these things can bark like dogs. We couldn't hear it over the yapping of terriers.

See the latest tour of Two Terrier Vineyards here:
leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/04/20/around-and-about-two-terr...

4/18: Lady Bug Militia

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:32:00 +0000

Part of my somewhat integrated, kind of but not really organized pest eradication plan.

Yup, I'm gardening the New Deal way: throw lots of shit at the problem and see what sticks.

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/04/18/my-new-deal-garden/

4/16: A Piece of the True Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:35:00 +0000

No, not THAT True Cross. This is a piece of Junipero Serra's original cross for Mission Santa Clara de Asis. Discovered when I took the Other Road back from Sanity Cruz:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/04/17/the-other-road-from-sanit...

4/12: "So a Child Walks Up to a Bar..."

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Another fabulous Easter with friends. And luckily our friends with children are very relaxed about our house without. We had uncovered light sockets, snapping terriers and lots of barstools for children to risk death climbing. But luckily, no children were harmed during Easter in the Death Trap for Children:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/04/13/easter-in-the-death-trap-...

#100: Madonna and Child

noreply@blogger.com (Blue State Cowgirl) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:29:00 +0000

The front room of the Noe/Drive house has the most beautiful Vermeer lighting. And here are beautiful subjects worthy of Baroque Masters. Noe and Little A.