Although I’m a morning person by nature, I much prefer going into work later rather than earlier. Then I can wake up when it’s light outside rather than when an alarm clock wakes me, and I have time to ease into my day rather than rushing to get out the door. My scheduled start time this year is 9:30 AM, and when I got that schedule, I couldn’t have been happier.

Well, TECHNICALLY that’s my start time. I think I can count on one hand the number of times this school year I’ve actually made it in at 9:30. The building opens at 7:30, and I’ve been getting there usually somewhere between 7:30 and 8. Yes, I’m a workaholic. We’ve established that already. And there’s been a lot to do this year–SO much to do, and I’ve been trying to stay atop of it all.

Finally last Thursday, a bunch of big things that had been scattered started to come together, and by yesterday, they were almost complete. I’m still marveling at the speed at which this all happened (well, speed and a lot of work on my part–I was at work for 8 hours this past Saturday!) When I left work yesterday, I left with a smile on my face, because I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So this morning? I actually had set my alarm for 8:30, but when 7:30 found me wide awake, I decided it was a good time for pancakes. Oddly enough, John was already awake and riding his unicycle in the living room (don’t ask), so I grabbed him, and off we went to Denny’s.

It was an absolutely perfect start to the morning.

A mug of sheer bliss.

For some reason, these signs always catch the artistic part of my eye — I have no idea why. They’re not particularly aesthetically pleasing — they’re just plain old warning signs. But they somehow fit in quite nicely with the art deco style of the Tower Bridge in downtown Sacramento, and so I finally got around to taking a picture of them. They actually kind of crack me up. A bit of paraphrasing as my brain translates the signs:

Sign 1: Keep away from the gate.

Sign 2: No, seriously, stay away from there.

Sign 3: DUDE. GATE. GET THE HELL BACK.

If there were a fourth sign, I think it would involve an electrical shock.

I’m so weird. :-)

Tower Bridge sidewalk signs

But at least the weather in Sacramento has been more or less phenomenal since we’ve gotten back — a few hot days, but overall it’s been unseasonably mild, and, I hate to say it, definitely nicer than most of the weather on our trip. So I’ve been enjoying being outside, and soaking up the last of the golden rays that bathe everything in the most amazing late-afternoon light. I don’t want to hurry through this time — I’m not ready for it to be autumn and winter. But since it’s inevitable, I’ll make the most of what summer that’s left.

Feet running across the Tower Bridge in downtown Sacramento.

The urban forest in which I live, originally uploaded by Kari_Marie.

When I first moved to Sacramento, I must have heard at least a dozen times the statement that this is the second most treed city in the world after Paris. I don’t know how true that is, but I like driving past downtown on the freeway and looking down into the city and seeing a sea of green, and, even more, I like living downtown, in the midst of that sea of green. I love the flowering trees in the spring, the shade in the summer, the fall color, and even the bare skeletal shapes in the winter. It’s crowded and raucous and dirty and parking stinks, but it’s home.

I live in an urban forest: vibrant, dense, and full of life, and I love it. I may not always stay here, but for now I can’t imagine living anywhere else, and I’ll miss it this summer when I’m gone.

I’ve seen this car on my way home from work a handful of times, but I’ve never been able to get a picture of it before. Today two fortunate events conspired to help me finally get a picture — I happened to get right behind it on a one-lane road, and the one stoplight on that road turned red just as we got there. OMG WIN.

Herbie the Love Bug

This one is tiny and grainy because (a) I took the picture in my side-view mirror after I'd already passed it, (b) I cropped the heck out of it, and (c) I flipped it so that it wasn't reversed (from being taken in the mirror.) Awesome. :-)

Yeah, sun. In Seattle, even. Who'd have thought? Seriously though, I just wanted to stand and bask in the loveliness that was the warm sun coming through that window. So so beautiful.

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No picture can do justice to the quality of light, or the cool evening air, or the gentle rain, or the peace of this place. So you’ll just have to use your imagination. It’s beautiful here, y’all.

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