Sunny and Cold

Good morning, my friends. The wind blew hard the night before, but it was a calm day for most of the day. The sun was shining, but it was too cold to be out without bundling up first. We had a couple of errands to run, but I had some time to spend on my slow-stitching in the morning.

My hoop was filled, and so I moved my hoop to the right and down a little. I could capture all but a little bit at the top. I'll start at the bottom this morning, and then I'll be able to capture the last of it.

Also, you might remember that I started this project with one full ball of Perle cotton, and one partially used one. 

I'm happy to say that I'll be able to finish off this fifth of 12 blocks and still have some floss leftover from the partially-used ball. And that tells me that I'll have plenty to finish off this project without needing to buy more. (I like it when I can use something that was leftover from another project.)

While I was stitching, Sadie found some sunshine. We usually hope their kitty hammocks will end up in the sun for at least part of the day. She's had to rely on the back window this trip. Be careful if you want to pet her. You could burn your hand on her warm furs.

From there, we drove into town to pick up a few things. While we were out, I noticed the dusting of snow on the range of mountains to the west. On the other side of those mountains is Death Valley National Park, routinely one of the hottest spots in the nation. I believe the tallest peak just to the right of center is Telescope Peak.

One of the things we wanted to do while we were out was to get a new wheatgrass pot for the kitties. When we returned and came through the door holding the wheatgrass, their ears perked up and they were all about getting in a nibble. These will last about two weeks before they wilt and dry up. This is the third one this trip. It seems a small thing, but they really appreciate it.

Later in the afternoon, I got out for a walk. To the east, there is snow in the mountains.

Looking farther to the north, it looks like this:

To the south, it looks like this:

I could hear them singing. You can hear the sound at this video, right here. These are white-crowned sparrows. The photo was taken from a distance away.

Continuing on, I noticed about a dozen birds sitting on some power lines. It was hard to see any color since I was shooting into the sun.

Around on the other side, I could see their colors better. These are Rock Doves.

Walking on, I got around to the front of the resort. The Charleston Peak winery hasn't always been here. Apparently, it was located elsewhere at one time. It was established in 1992, but we've been coming here for years, and this is the first time we've seen them here. Doing some internet sleuthing, I learned the story behind this change.

Walking around to the other side of the building, I found this one nearly-spent rose.

Also, I was able to get a better picture of the flower from a few days ago. My phone tells me this is an almond blossom. It's surprising because this is growing on a shrub. I guess everything starts somewhere.

The day ended with a pretty sunset that lit up the hills behind us in red.

We ended our day with these Molten Chocolate Mug Cakes for Two. My mugs are deep...

But that leaves room for a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum.

When we got up this morning, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. In the intervening hours, clouds have moved in and the wind has come up. We're expecting nasty weather today. It's okay with me. I'd decided when we arrived that today was going to be a sewing day. The RV wash and wax has been postponed until tomorrow, and so it'll be a stay-inside and do-nothing day...except for sewing, which isn't nothing. If the forecast is correct, today's rain should be the last of the bad weather while we're here.

We have one more week here in Pahrump before we move west a ways and spend a few days in Death Valley. I keep hearing that the wildflowers will be plentiful this year, and I'm looking forward to it.