Home, sweet (cold) home

So I'm looking out the window at a frozen garden, and it's hard to believe we were strolling around Balboa Park yesterday afternoon where it was a balmy 70 degrees.  We haven't been to that lovely park for years and it's just as pretty as ever, especially my favorite place-- the big old wooden botanical conservatory.

After that, we spent the evening in San Diego Old Town, eating Mexican food at a tourist trap restaurant with lots of other trapped tourists.  All fun. Then up at 4:30 am for an early flight home.

So, it was quite a shock to step off the airplane into real winter today. On the bright side, at least it isn't raining!  And the sky is perfectly clear in Seattle, but it's very cold. 

When we left the fig tree was green, now a mess with black rotting leaves ready to fall off.  Much raking ahead. Ditto the grape vine, ditto the frozen geraniums.  Oh well, at least I had the foresight to bring in the house plants and leave the furnace on low, or we would be coming home to frozen pipes.

However, this plant camper, who thrived on the deck all summer, was unhappy with the cold and dry indoor arrangements. Oh well.

We had a wonderful little break from reality, but it feels good to be home.  Our house is small, but after a week of motel rooms, it feels almost palatial.
And here come the holidays.