I can't believe we are already in the 3rd week of August!   Where has the year gone???!!!   When I think back to January, and all that was happening back then: going thru escrow, anxiously awaiting my trip to Mexico, then coming home to the new house and all that had to be done!!!!   WOW!!!!

Now I look around at all that has been acomplished in these past 8 months and I can't believe it.

There is still a lot to do, but we have come such a long way!!!!

Yes, another picture of Jean Moragne.....soo gorgeous!!!!

The fig tree is loaded and figs are ripening faster than I know what to do with them......Picked a box full and then 2 days later another box full.......I started searching the internet for recipes where I could freeze them to make something later......the only thing I could find were recipes that used dried figs!!!  UGH!!!!     Found 1 recipe for fig bars that uses fresh figs.......the only problem is that you have to simmer the figs on the stove for 2 hours......YIKES!!!!   It is about 90º - the last thing I want to do is cook over the stove or turn the oven on.......

well, I went ahead and tried the Fig bar recipe because I didn't want to have to throw out all those figs!!!!.........it turned out kind of like a strudel with an oatmeal crumb crust and topping.   It is pretty good with frozen yogurt on top.   (not so great by itself)  I will try to change the recipe next time.    I have picked figs twice since then, but just took the boxes to work.......hopefully other people like figs!!!!

We went surfing on Friday night to a spot we haven't been to in a long time.  The beach is called Terra Mar.   My memory of the area is that you have to climb down thru the jagged sandstone cliff for a bit and then you end up at the edge with the water below.    Well, as we get to the edge, there is about a 10-12' drop to the beach!!!!!    And there is a rope attached to a large peg that has been driven into the side of the cliff......Yea right!!!!   Scott rappelled down first and we handed him all the boards, then Dillon and Mel went down and I was last!!!!!  Oh My Gawd!!!!!   As I was going down I was wondering how in the heck I was going to get back up!!!!!!

We had a fun time surfing, the water felt soo good after sweating all day at work.    (It has been in the high 90's for 2 weeks with humidity about 50% - YUK!!!)     We finally decided we better get out of the water when we realized it was getting dark, the tide had come in and the water was almost hitting the bottom of the cliff......OOOPS!!!!!    So, up the cliff we went.......Scott first, then handing up all the boards then the 3 of us....NO PROBLEM!!!!   I would never have thought I would need to rappel to surf!!!!   Hee Hee

In Vista there is a Mexican restaurant on just about every corner.   We have tried a few and have our favorite, but we were really wanting to try some different kinds of foods.     I ran across a coupon for a Thai restaurant. (you know me - coupons for everything)  Since Thailand is just about a year away, I need to get started on knowing what Thai food is all about and see if I like it.   To be safe I ordered Cashew Chicken and Mel ordered Eggplant with mushrooms.    They both were pretty tasty, but spicy!!!!!  (and we ordered our with spice level 1)   I know most Thai food is very spicy!!!  It was still very good and definitely a place we will eat again!!!   

Then last night we rode our bicycles down to a new Chinese restaurant that had great reviews online.    We ordered fish and tofu in a black bean sauce and the chef's special green beans........everything was great.   I think the owner recognized we were new and gave us 3 appetizers free.......we picked out a p-nut type dish with little dried fish, a seaweed and pepper dish and a tofu and mushroom dish.   These appetizers were enough for a meal and then the real meal showed up and it was huge!!!!!   Family sized portions!!!! Really different food for me, but I liked it all!!!!!   I don't know what anything really was, but I just put it out of my mind.....they had soo many different things on the menu: kidney, intestines, etc.    Have an open mind, right???!!!!!

Work is still moving forward on the back yard.  The mulch is almost all spread in the yard, after pulling weeds and pruning back plants. 

path between the veggie garden and the herb garden (the only thing in the veggie garden is some echinacia)

between the veggie garden and the porch of the casita.

down the side of the casita...towards the "back 40"

It is kind of nice now to be at the point where we can start pruning and training the plants to go where we want them to go.   There is still alot to be done each week, but I am finally feeling like I am making headway.........

this is before:

and now......

walkway to the casita - it was WAY overgrown before - we removed plants and trimmed back others....

we haven't started on the front yard yet.... it is just too hot to be digging!!!

So, life continues in the fast lane, but I soo look forward to my weekday off when we go surfing!!!!!   The kids are back to school tomorrow!!!!  YEA!!!!  The beach will be a little less crowded!!!!

Oh, happy to report that Mr. Gopher is no longer a problem.....(unless he has brothers,sisters, cousins....)

Hope you had a great weekend!!!!