The Bounty of Summer . . .

 Although we are not always happy with the hot temperatures during the summer, the very sun that makes us miserable aids in the production of fresh fruits and vegetables from our garden.

Between the dogs and the gophers, my husband has had a battle this year so didn't have the time or energy to plant quite as much as other years. What we do have growing is, however, coming along well.

We just enjoyed a whole three cherry tomatoes last week. And, no, I didn't share! I made eggplant chips from several Japanese eggplant raised in our garden. Both orange trees have a lot of little green oranges we hope will ripen in time for holiday meals in the Fall. The lemon tree is overproducing, as usual. The peach tree didn't work out as well but we got enough peaches to blanch, slice and freeze. I have three bags of them in the freezer to enjoy when peaches are no longer in season. My best surprise is our three-year old pomegranate tree has finally produced fruit and several of the pomegranates are as big as my fist. They are one of my favorite things to eat. I'm hoping that this year, I won't have to brave the cost of them at the store but just reach out to our garden and grab one.

Playing in the Middle of the Street?

 We've all grown up with our parents telling us, "Don't play in the street!" so how much fun would it be to bring home a picture seeming to go against these parental wishes?

A visit to Universal Studies in Hollywood provided just such a moment for us. Although it looks like our group is standing in the way of traffic, if you look closely, you can see a line behind them indicating the traffic is a very realistic wall picture. Being good actors, this bunch managed to portray some tourists more interested in the view than the oncoming traffic.