Walking on Sunshine. Woah-Oh.

I was finding it hard to take January in Portland much longer, so when our friend Susan (who has a book coming out in March, which you can pre-order here) suggested we come down to Los Angeles for a stopover for a few days before the big trip to visit my family in Mississippi, this light went off in my head and we were on an airplane that afternoon.

It sounds like a cliche, but truly: I think I was forgetting what clear blue skies look like. Some images from our last few days:

A day so clear we could see Catalina Island from Mount Wilson. Unbelievably beautiful.

Who's a cheeseball? We are cheeseballs! Can anyone tell that Abe has had a haircut? (by me, while in the bath, unable to comb out the dreads).

This is why people live in Southern California: a morning in January.

It's Los Angeles. We spend a lot of time in the car. Abe naps here often.

Sweetness. Abe calls these "Oh-nos" (oranges) and eats at least 5 or 6 daily.

The other day in Target in rainy, snowy, wintry Portland, Abe started saying "happy." I've called Target my "happy place" for a while now, so what kismet this boy has. Here, he demonstrates his new word:


And now off to Mississippi for hushpuppies and fried catfish with my deer-hunting relatives. Yum.