Place: Glacier national park reminisces.........

In summer 2013, we had visited Glacier National Park.......So many things happened in that year, I had not got time to blog on the beautiful discoveries...
Thimbleberry bushes hugging a path through the woods..

A gorgeous flower pot near the Lake McDonald.....

Robin nest near a path to a waterfall..

A mountain goat on the cliffs, licking minerals......

Place: Hiking in Wilderness Glen Park Nature Trail......

Summer is in its peak.....Strenuous hiking is not possible...so we did a short urban hike in our Mission Viejo neighborhood....Wilderness Glen Park Nature Trail..6 min drive from our house..

A view of the Saddleback mountain.......

The canyons covered in vegetation...sycamore, palm, sage, toyon...

Clumps of cactus..with ripe fruits...

Saw birds..scrub jay, woodpecker, towhee......

Squirrels, and rabbits too.......

Bliss: Simple joys.......

Quiet dinners at home......

Wind ruffling the hair...greenery..

Flora: Lichens......

Lichens..........the dual organism.......they can be stunning with brilliant pigments.....

Kitchen: Making pickles.......

Store-bough pickles are tasty but the sulfite and other preservatives in them make me uncomfortable....so, taking advantage of the sunlight in my patio, I am making pickles these days..........

Chilli..lemon....mixed...

Kitchen: Making mango chutney.......

The ripe mango  I cut for dessert was sour, so I chopped it, and added some salt, chilli, mint, cilantro, ginger, and garlic.........blended for 1 min.......a delicious salsa is ready.........

Kitchen: Making yoghurt.......

The store-bought curd caused allergy.....edema, the lymphatic gland swelling.....

I guess, actually I am sure, the preservatives they are adding are vasoactive.....manipulating my blood vessel permeability.........

So, I am preparing curd in my kitchen these days........its pretty easy........

Heat milk for 15 min or so...stirring occasionally...........then add 1 spoon curd in 1/2 lit milk......cover and put somewhere warm, or room temperature will do...........

After 8h, thick curd is ready.......

Here, I have garnished some of the curd with sugar and cardamom powder.........

Simple and healthy dessert.

Passion: Vegetable harvest in my Mission Viejo apartment garden......

I am so glad to be harvesting vegetables from my apartment garden......

The recipes.............

Passion: Bird bath installation in my garden.......

Its peak of summer.......heat waves are regular.......
I see birds panting for water.....so, I bought a bird bath.......
Have installed in under the dappled shade of apine at the edge of my tiny garden.........
Hmmed by mandevilla, cardinal climber vine and a dracaena, it creates a pretty nook......

The bird bath has two dummy birds......and I have filled the bowl with cool water........

Waiting for the birds to make use of the installation........

Plant: Calliandra........

A Pink Powder Puff (Calliandra surinamensis). .......just outside my back patio........
When we moved into the current house in mid May, it was all green......

Within weeks I saw pink touches among the green canopy..........

In a month, it turned spectacular.....with zillion powder puff-like flowers........

Crows, orioles, sparrows, mockingbirds, hummingbirds to parrots flocked to rest and forage on it....

As summer escalates its heat, soon the blooms will wither away.....and the tree will be back to normal..but it offered views worth-remembering.........