Today Is The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life...

...How Did You Begin Yours?

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Peggy and I have been sleeping on the deck, outside, under the stars, for the past few weeks. We wake up about 5 A.M. and have been alternating between long morning walks and bike rides around the lake.

This morning we left the house on our bikes, at 5:45, and found another beautiful sky waiting for us. We could see rain in the distance ahead of us so I stopped at Von's deli and asked for a plastic bag to put my camera in, just in case.

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

In the enlarged picture you can see rain falling over to the west of us, and, as we got over near Boulder Bay, the roads were wet but the rain had moved out ahead of us.

You may also notice a rainbow coming down through the clouds in the right side of the photo. It appears to be touching down near the Serrano Campground on the north shore, near the solar observatory, and sure enough, when we got over to the bike path that runs through the campground the ground was still wet.

Boulder Bay

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

As we rolled west the clouds moved to the horizon and blues skies opened above us.

Near The Dam, Looking Southeast
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Shortly after crossing the dam, and heading back eastward toward home, we stopped for a water break at this overlook.

A Couple Of Hours Later...
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom
Tuesday is the day our local little Farmer's Market sets up shop, just 2 blocks from our house, so after our ride we leashed up Dallas and headed over to pick up some fresh produce.




Click on photos to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

All this fun and we were home before 9 A.M. looking forward to working in our own gardens.

~We Hope You Are Enjoying Your Day~

Peace & Love
Jim & Peg

Good Morning from Big Bear...

Four Photos From This Morning's Walk

Click on photos to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

The pictures speak for themselves, a sunrise walk to remember, bathed in gorgeous light.

June Twelfth Sunrise

Stanfield Marsh 5:54 A.M.

Click on photo to enlarge - ©2009 jim otterstrom

Morning dew and a dappled sky grace the marsh during our morning walk.

Icy Dawn ~ February 15th 6:22 A.M.

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

A chilly morning walk found us at the east end of the Stanfield Marsh as dawn broke this morning. It was 6° F when we left the house. We were all bundled up and Peg had a scarf wrapped around her face, but we still got pretty cold out by the ice, waiting for the sun, even Dallas was glad to get home to the warm fire.

An exhilarating and beautiful walk though, even if we didn't go as far as usual.

The First Dawn Of Winter

Click on photo to enlarge - ©2008 jim otterstrom

This fleeting moment was captured at 6:52 this morning along Highway 18 between Big Bear and Lucerne Valley.

A couple of minutes later the sun disappeared behind the clouds leaving us with this golden memory to warm a gray and drizzly day.

A perfect beginning for winter.

Yesterday's Gone...

Dawn With A Crescent Moon

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

Saturday's dawn from Stanfield Marsh.

The sliver of a crescent moon in the upper right of the photo enhanced the peaceful ambiance of the pre-dawn walk Dallas and I shared yesterday.

Yes friends, Peggy and I are still alive, just very busy with outdoor projects before winter sets in.

Pictures of these projects will be forthcoming whenever I get more in the mood to sit in front of a computer.

It's not just the blog I'm neglecting, I've had the phone ringer shut off for a month too!

Maybe I'll rename this place Jim & Peg's Hermitage...

Winter Sunrise Walk...

TODAY, at 6:45 A.M.

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

6:50 A.M.
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

7:12 A.M.

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

Three views along our sunrise walk this morning as Peggy, Dallas, and I happily trudged a few miles through nearly a foot of snow that fell Sunday night.

We came across two coyotes right after the second picture was taken and Dallas took off after them, having a ball and getting more than his share of the morning workout.

We saw the coyotes again on the way home, a few blocks from our house, after Dallas was back on the leash. One of them sat there just 25 feet away posing for us, but my camera batteries picked that particular moment to go dead. Dang It!

But what a brisk and exhilarating way to start the day!!!

Deceptively Serene...

...for the time being

Click on photos to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

Looking north across Stanfield Marsh

Big Bear was deceptively calm at 7:20 this morning considering that the raging 'Slide' & 'Grass Valley' fires are burning just about 20 miles west of here. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in those mountain communities nearest to our valley. We have good friends in both the Running Springs and Lake Arrowhead areas and I hope they haven't lost their homes. Yet more homes are surely burning even as I post this picture of tranquility.

A View to the west from the same location
An ominous layer of dark smoke lies over the San Bernardino Mountains west of the Big Bear Dam where much destruction is occurring. Because of the Santa Ana winds that have been blowing from the northeast, fanning these fires, we have had smoke free blue skies here throughtout the firestorms but that may be about to change.

The Santa Ana's have died down now and we'll most likely return to our normal westerly winds which will bring the smoke directly into big Bear.

A Rising Plume
This shot was made 15 minutes later & a 1/4 of a mile farther west along the shore of the marsh.
A plume of smoke begins rising in the general direction of Lake Arrowhead and I suspect that before today is over Big Bear will be a very smoky place.

Hopefully we won't get any strong westerlies or we may be in trouble here.

Very large fires are burning right over there and last I heard they were zero percent contained.

See post below for an update

6:31 A.M.

Click on photo enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

Sunrise over the Stanfield Marsh at 6:31 this morning during our 5 mile walk.

Dawn's Early Light...

Click on photo to enlarge

6:26 A.M. found Peggy, Dallas and I walking the Stanfield Cutoff across Big Bear Lake. Our view of the marsh is to the east and toward home just before today's sunrise.

My Morning Vista!

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Dawn arrives at 6:13 AM during our steep hike out of Spotted Owl territory this morning.

Not a half bad way for a near 60 year-old coot to start his day I might add.

Sunrise Silhouette

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Peggy & I silhouetted by the sunrise at 6:16 A. M. today beside Stanfield Marsh.
Egads!
I can walk!
It's sooo nice to be out here in the mornings again!

Morning Has Broken

Click on photo to enlarge
There is probably nothing so beautiful as a new morning breaking.
I hate to miss one.

Sunrise On The Marsh

6 A.M. Photo taken from Stanfield Cutoff.

Saturday Sunrise

Peggy & Dallas waiting for the sun at 6:14 A.M. today.
The Bald Eagles are still here, we saw two this morning, but they'll be heading back north by the end of the month.
Fish are jumping, pelicans are everywhere, the snow's melting fast, the lake is filling up and spring is just around the corner.
In the distant center of the picture (enlarged) you might see some white specks on the water, which are actually pelicans.
A couple of days ago we counted over fifty of them in this same spot.
Click on photo to enlarge.

A Brand New Day!

Sunrise at 6:16 this morning during our walk through Stanfield Marsh.

Dawn At Stanfield Marsh

Mallards & White Pelicans in the Stanfield Marsh Wildlife Habitat (at the east end of Big Bear Lake) just before sunrise this morning.
Click photo to enlarge.

Big Bear Lake 6:43 A.M.

Fog lifting off Big Bear Lake this morning. Several White Pelicans swam by us a few minutes before this picture was taken but it was still too dark & foggy to get a shot of them.

November Sunrise

Sunrise in the habitat November 23, 2004. Gives you and idea of the climate extremes we experience and love every minute of.