It seemed like a good day for a walk. So George and Gracie headed up the hill. They needed a photographer so they insisted that I go along.

We went all the way to the top of our “mountain”. We saw the valley on the other side of the mountain. (You just thought of a bear, didn’t you?)

For those not familiar with the song ‘The Bear Went Over the Mountain’ it is an obnoxious song for children. (https://youtu.be/cechGm0FOmQ A short version.)It’s adult counterpart is ’99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall’. It never stops.

But I digress.

From the top of our ‘mountain’ you could see the fire line from the wildfire that destroyed on home and caused us to evacuate a couple of years ago.

Then there are the chemise covered hills with a few pines and lots of manzanita.

suspected fox den

The rocks that are so distant from the house, are bursting with color. Their worn shapes perfect for the California grey fox that we saw a little bit ago.

But finally getting home again led to this discovery. A critter hole. A split second before I snapped this picture a gopher stuck his head out and munched on a piece of grass.

Gracie refused to leave her post for some time. She later explained that she was protecting the front yard.

And all that hard work required much rejuvenation. At least they were cool in their new summer cuts!

We should all have such restful days!