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It is so darn lovely here that I’m already finding myself missing (and seeking out) funkier, shabbier, less obvious forms of beauty. Not that Idyllwild is lacking in character. Among the highlights this Memorial Day weekend: The Rotary Club pancake breakfast, the American Legion barbecue, and what is apparently an annual, community-wide, yard-sale extravaganza. Still, it’s good to know the desert is only an hour away. I’ll need to get my decay-and-dilapidation fix somehow and, as anyone who has spent time perusing this blog knows, they have it there in spades!

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The creek across the road from my new house; Idyllwild, CA

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Signs of spring, 5300 feet above sea level; Idyllwild, CA

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Hello out there…I’m back. :-) To anyone still paying attention and especially to those of you who bothered to check in here during my long absence…thank you!!

My first couple of weeks here in Idyllwild (most of which I spent unpacking, little did I know I should have been outside enjoying the weather) were truly spectacular. This past week, on the other hand, has provided me with a mere hint of what winter will undoubtedly be like here. Thirty-eight degrees in the middle of the day? Seriously? And in the middle of May? There was even snow forecast for the next town up the mountain although I never did hear whether or not it materialized.

Not that I didn’t enjoy the novelty of it all at first. Coming on the heels of my sojourn in the desert, a simple thing like walking through the dark, misty afternoon all bundled up, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, felt almost magical. Even so, the gloomy weather was just starting to get to me when, thankfully, I awoke this morning to a mild and vivid-as-technicolor spring day.

I’m looking forward to sharing my beautiful new surroundings with you. I’m also looking forward seeing what my friends in the blogosphere are up to these days. I’ll be making the rounds over the next few days. See you soon!