Mabel's Excellent Adventure - Part 1

We had the most amazing hike on Sunday and thank goodness I had my camera because, otherwise you would never believe some of the stuff our heroine pulled! There are so many photos to sort through and so much happened...this will have to be a multi-part post!

Considering the day started off with a fantastic breakfast at Mabel's favorite spot (she had eggs, bacon and biscuits with sausage gravy!), following about 10 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep(!!!) and ended with the Saints winning the Superbeauxl, it was a perfect day all around!

We got to the creek around 10:30. It was one of those days where all the mica / fools gold in the rocks just sparkles because of all the rain we've been having. The sun was shining and it wasn't too windy or cold and there were lots of people out.

As we approached "dirty creek," ( Walden Pond to folks around here.) I could tell it was really muddy, so I stayed on a high ridge overlooking the water.
Of course, not everyone is bothered by a lot of mud...
even if she sinks in it up to her haunches!
Yes, the girl is always open to a good frolic or a chase with the ducks or ground squirrels.

I was anxious to get over to see more of the rock slide that had happened sometime Saturday. I was most concerned because it took out the camp of an elderly Armenian man I know named Georges. He lives in a nearby nursing home and hates it so he comes to the creek to "farm!"

This photo shows all the rocks that came out of the canyon.
Here is a different view. The rocks came out of the canyon that is about 1" in from the left on the photo. The brush on the left is what the valley floor had looked like on the right side of the photo just the day before!
Georges had built the most amazing farm just the left of the canyon opening! He had fenced off a small area using scraps of lumber, fallen trees and bamboo. He had a funky gate that you had to climb through to get into the garden. Inside were raised beds of veggies, lilac and lavender. The flowers were there for his bees! He kept hives in there! Georges likes honey in his tea.

He also had built himself a sleeping area. It was elevated and the floor was about butt high so you could just sit down in it. It was a little longer than a sleeping bag and just tall enough to sit up in. Georges would nap there in the day time after chores.

I was so upset to see his garden destroyed and was more than a little worried about Georges. To my surprise, he was on top of the levee Sunday, surveying the damage. He was a afraid that he had somehow caused that landslide by moving rocks to clear the stream bed. I assured him that it was the rain that dumped several inches in an hour!

We had a good visit with Georges before I noticed a some little dogs headed our way and I ducked down into the muddy river bed to let them pass.

Up next: Mabel and her boyfriend Max!

Crying Over Football

I never cared for football...even growing up in an area of the country where football is a religion.

I was never an athletic kid. While I was not overweight, I was one of those rock solid kids who could weigh than 20 pounds more than the next kid my size. Running and jumping were never my forte. Mom never encouraged my joining sports teams, preferring to keep our weekends free to travel.

High school football games were about the band. I belonged to elite band - always going to competitions. The games were always about showing up the band across the field and about a rockin' halftime show. Who cared about the game? It was simply a vehicle to show off the band!

College meant boys and showing off for the boys. Football games were about seeing and being seen. That meant wardrobe. Saturdays were spent at the mall picking out the right outfit. And the game??? The end of it signaled that it was time for the party to start. That's it.

Adulthood brought no reason to ever care about football. I always seemed to like a man a little better if he wasn't all that into sports. I've worked with lots of professional athletes and often had to create "cheat sheets" to even know who they were!

And while I confess to watching the Superbowl, it really was to watch the commercials! I often worked on those little mini art films. I remember one year, I had seven running in the Superbowl and parked myself on a pull out sofa bed to enjoy the commercials and read a book during the game!

But this year... well, I must admit the Saints got even my attention. I did have some mild affection for the team as a child and got such a kick out the Unknown Fan years -when the team was so bad, people were embarrassed to be fans and wore paper bags over their heads. And the years where the team was so awful, folks call them "the 'aints."

When Hurricane Katrina hit and the Superdome was nearly destroyed, there was talk of sending the Saints to San Antonio. I knew that would be a grave blow to the city that was my part time home during childhood.

That New Orleans could not only rise from the swamps in just a few short years but have a winning football team on top of it... that's the kind of stuff that makes me well up with pride. That a football team could bring throngs of tourists back to a city I love makes me so happy.

And while city natives may have been flung far and wide by that Hurricane, their hearts lie deep in the city. And the hearts of all with ties to the region are full with love and gratitude. Our boys done us proud!

After the Big Storm

I think our last storm was a bust! The weather reports from early that week (2 1/2 weeks ago) were indicating some 20 inches in five days. Then 15...then 12. We got 4. Yes, weathercasters are idiots!

But they promised us this would be a storm equivalent to 2005 (Jan. 9th). That storm changed the landscape of the creek and made the water flow for a year and a half! It moved boulders the size of Volkswagens! So I was hopeful! Everyday, Mabel and I trudged out there and I dutifully took photos from four vantage points. And yes, four inches did do something...but really, if it doesn't take out a few holes on the golf course...it's not worth talking about!

I am relieved that the mudslides were kept to a minimum. And I am grateful for more water, albeit, BURNT water, in the creek. The smell is so strange. Mabel gets in and rolls around so I bring home the smell of burnt water.

The one neat thing is that we had the most snow in our local foothills that I've seen in 10 years!


That Saturday (1/23) was COLD! I was awake early and snuggled in bed with the girl when all the power went off. No sense in staying in a cold house when you can hike and warm up! So I loaded Mabel in the car and realized... I needed to scrape ice.


It took a while to find the scraper in the car and my hands got so cold, I ran back inside to find my gloves.



After scraping all the windows, I jumped in the car and hit the remote for the gate...NO POWER!!!

And... I couldn't find the manual opener for the gate. I seem to remember having some conversation with Mom when she was here. Her wondering what that tool was lying the driveway and me telling her to leave it there... but it was nowhere to be found.

So we came in the house, built a fire and waited. It was another hour before we had power and finally got to go enjoy the mountains... and buy a new gate opener at the hardware store on the way home!

Contentious Relationship

It may be hard to believe but Mabel and I actually have a somewhat contentious relationship. Yes, the dog and I don't always get along!

Like that distrustful, side-long look she always gives me when I take a photo of her - but always looks square on at the camera when her Auntie takes her picture, she knows how to get under my skin.

Last night, the BFF dropped off some of her fabulous ribs.... a dish I would normally share with Mabel. But, since her recent illness coincided with her bringing a strange rib bone home and puking, I decided to only give her meat. NO bones.

She was happy with the meat but kept looking at the plate of bones. So I got up and discarded them in the kitchen trashcan. As soon as I had gotten comfortable in the living room, building kits for my classes, Mabel started digging deep into her toy box. At the very bottom was a very sharp, pointy marrow bone, long-since licked clean.

She took it to her bed and proceeded to break off many nice long shards. When that didn't phase me, she started to eat them! I dug out the foil I had wrapped those rib bones in and negotiated a trade. Mabel was quite proud of herself!

After she ate a few bones (no tummy trouble either!), she started her usual schtick of wanting to be on the sofa with me. As I was counting tiny little crystals and knew I was going to get up and work on my taxes (thus losing MY spot on the sofa), I told her "no" repeatedly. Which turned into "NO!!!"

Hours later when I was done with my work, I sat on the sofa and patted her spot, indicating that she could join me. She got up from her bed -- and turned around to face the door!

I wonder if the Dog Whisperer offers couples counseling?

Creekhiker - One World, One Heart

Before the Storm

It's that time of year! The One World, One Heart International Blog event is HERE! This is a fun way to explore new blogs, win prizes, meet other bloggers and have fun in the blogosphere! You can read more about it on our host site:

Now, here's what you are playing for:

This off mandrel glass heart was made by me, Holly Dare. It was made with dichroic, aventurine and high silver glasses. There is no pink in it... that is a reflection of my shirt (ARGH!!) which should give you some idea of how reflective this bead is. It will arrive, ready-to-wear, on a black ribbon necklace (from Jamn Glass). Measures: 1.8" tall x 1.2" wide x 1/3" thick.

Simply leave a comment to win. Make sure I have some way of getting in touch with you if you are the winner...blog, email or website contact page.Winners announced February 15th.

I'm also giving away another prize on my bead blog and there you will find links to some of my beady friends who are also participating in this event. My lampwork bead promotion group, The Fire Divas, is also hosting a giveaway with several chances to win on that blog and links to other Divas who are also hosting their own OWOH giveaway! Please check them all out!

Winners announced February 15th.

About the Creekhiker blog: Creekhiker is my blog about life with my "rotten-weiler" in the foothills of Southern California. The people we meet and the beauty we encounter on our daily hikes are often featured here. I hope you'll come back and visit again.

She Wants What She Wants

For anyone who's been following along on Facebook or Twitter...Mabel has been terribly sick and while she seems in good spirits, she's not eating. She gets excited when I'm preparing food but when I give her a bowl, she curls her nose and walks off. I'm really worried!

But, things are still fun and interesting around here. With all our rain, I haven't done laundry in ages and with a busy week at the Hobby Show, I HAD to do some washin'. And, as I have a Depression Era mom, I hang my laundry to dry. (Dryers are for heavy things like towels and blankets!)

Since I had so much laundry and our winter daylight doesn't hit my clothesline in the afternoon, I took advantage of the jeep:

Mabel Lou also took advantage of the jeep to make her wishes known:

They Meant Well

Our storms this week have been making news. This the most rain we've seen since January '05 and that storm changed the path of the creek! I've been out to the creek twice daily for the last two days to check on the flow and shoot pictures.

When the clouds broke last evening and I drove down there, I was dismayed to see so many cars. I admit my disdain for folks who come out to the creek only when she's raging and in a foul mood. I prefer our regulars who love her when she's happy and calm or even sad and dry.

But I quickly realized this was no ordinary crowd. In addition to all the cars, there were news vans and beyond the dogleg in the road... at least a dozen fire trucks. As I parked, I saw a low flying fire chopper. This usually means a person is in the water.

After making my way to the levee, I found some of my regular hiking crowd and all were laughing. It seems a chopper spotted a tent, isolated on all sides by raging water and there were bicycles there so they thought people were stranded. As soon as they described the tent, I started laughing. Every hiker knows that tent. It's belonged to a local homeless guy called Uncle Billy. Uncle Billy left that tent at least three years ago. He even lived along one of our main trails back in the summer.

The parade of fire trucks leaving

But no one from the fire department asked any of us... no, they called out the whole battalion and spent a fortune on rescuing... an empty tent! Much ado about nothing...

As they all packed up to drive back into town, the sight that made me giggle the most was a fire truck pulling a jet ski! A jet ski??? In the Tujunga river??? For those not familiar with this area, the translation of Tujunga (Ta HUNG a) means loud boulders or clanging rocks. You couldn't get a jet ski down the river on a good day, much less when she's chocked full of soot, ash and fallen trees! What were they thinking???