family of four takes turn around lake! spots wolf and prisoner!

Don't you love it when you're just walking along and - OH MY GOD there's a prisoner's mitten on a tree!!

In other words, the family and I went for a walk around one of the lakes last Sunday. We were originally going to go to Purgatory, but we decided that it would be to far of a drive.
Aww.
That's right, Didi doesn't walk around lakes - he glides.

When I look at this photo I think snow! desert! oasis! and angels in my head belt out a chorus of "Silent Night."

Lone dog runs on frozen lake.

The CUTEST chimney EVER! I'd be happy to live in the chimney, except they probably have chicken wire in each of the "windows" to prevent birds for getting high on chimney smoke.

When I was looking through photos I thought, Gee that must be mom and dad walking off into the distance. How cute.

Upon closer inspection it turned out to be Didi. Yikes. He really is growing.

Don't you hate it when you're riding in a car and - OMG a cute doggy pokes its nose out the window! And then you feel obliged to pull out the camera, take a photo, and upload it to your blog. Sheesh.

Note the juxtaposition of the street signs: ONLY turn left into the MAC store, but don't actually enter it or park next to it.

Next time: Pizza Luce's stomach-turning pizza! (that's where this dog is headed.)

Day 7

11:50 pm - nostalgia

When was seven my friend Elyssa, my brother, and I stuffed clothes, toothbrushes, bottles of water, and snacks into sleeping bags and ran away. By ran I mean walked out the door, down the short road of the cul de sac my family lived on, and hid behind a road sign. I explained to Elyssa that we needed to find a river with soap leaves, which we could use to wash clothes, as I had read in the Josephina American Girl book. If we could settle next to a source of water we could live outside forever. We sat down behind the sign and spread our clothes over the bushes. It was almost perfect. I cracked open a bottle of water and listened to cars whizz past on the main road.

A few minutes later Elyssa's mom and my parents found us. We were scolded for dirtying clothes and not asking permission to leave the house. Mom claimed my clothes were wet, but they were actually just cold. I was grounded and shut in my room to fold all the clothes that were in my sleeping bag. Elyssa and her mother left.

In Arizona, my brother and I never tried to run away. I think it's because the climate and wildlife there are more dangerous. Scorpians, cacti, gila monsters, and the feared rattlesnake kept us close to home.

As a child I felt a deep spiritual bond with nature. I still do, but it isn't the same. Now as I grow older I'm beginning to look for the same connection again. This is why I love Myasaki's films - they make me feel like it's just me, the earth, the sky, and the magical presence of forest spirits.