Yesterday we took a different route than usual. Here’s a little of what we saw.
The old steam mill in our valley is on the left. It originally used water, but the little stream didn’t provide enough power.
Cordes rising out of the gentle landscape
Another view from a little higher
The sweetpeas could use rain
The wild plums are very tannic this year but still delicious.
Mocha can go off-leash on this walk
These grapes are smaller than usual too. It’s been hot and dry.
Eve Neuhaus 
Lovely! A walk along a country road!
So good to hear from you and that you are living in such beauty and can enjoy it and share it with all of us. Thank you so much. Love, Lynne
Sending lots of love, Lynne!
Thank you for sharing your walk with Mocha into the countryside!! Seeing the plants there struggling in your unusually hot dry summer makes us thankful that, so far THIS year, the Central Coast has been surprisingly pre-climate-change normal, although we can’t count on that to last. Even Atascadero has only exceeded 100 on a few days this summer and sometimes doesn’t even break 90. Other parts of the world have taken the climate change hits so far this year, with lethal dewpoints from Gujarat to the Red Sea, and with Greenland melting as never before, and two well-publicized heat waves affecting France and surrounding countries in late June and late July. How did you and your neighbors weather the extreme temperatures during those events? I would hope that the cave-like thermal mass of your home would have helped mitigate the effects. Larger cities, with their urban heat islands, must have struggled. Anyway, it is wonderful when you open windows on the lives you are living in the oasis of sanity you have found!!
Our house stayed cool the whole time. We close the shutters and run fans to circulate the cool air from the cave in the back to the front. It stays warm in the winter too. It’s classic passive solar: a stone house built into a south-facing hillside with big south-facing windows and tiled floors. Our garden suffered this year, though. We haven’t got a working pump on the well there so we have to pull the water up in a pail. We kept up the best we could, but the second heat wave was too much. We got a lot of tomatoes though. They like the heat.
Cordes is an oasis. We’re very fortunate.
Dear Eve,
In the insanity in our country, it was so very wonderful to receive your photos that show a
tranquil countryside and a wonderful village in the hills..a balm to the soul. I watched
some of the Tour De France, which for me is a sightseeing tour of France. It is such
a beautiful country. With the hot weather did you get your garden going?????
Always look forward to hearing from you. I know Kathy B will be visiting you in
Sept so I will also look forward to her report when she comes home
Best to you and Tom
Judy
The garden suffered this year. We stayed cool inside or took day trips to cool places. We saw two extraordinary caves on the hottest days! Looking forward to Kathy’s visit!
Long time no see! Great photos, you are living your dream 😉 Thanks, Lin
Thanks, Lin. Wishing you well!
PARADISE!
PARADISE
It is. We are so fortunate.