One Fine Day

Today is, in fact one fine day here in the Inland Valley...yessir, a fine Fall day. I'm still in weekend mode here at CorduroyPlanet. I've been getting some loose ends tied up, before the weather changes enough to call me back up the hill.

I was out and about most of the mid-day hours, enjoying the warm Fall day...since last week's big rain event, the leaves are starting to turn autumn colors, the hills are showing the green of newly sprouted grass, and the light has that special Fall Glow. These are the kind of days that start me to longing...Winter is coming before long, I best wrap up my Summer Projects...I'm already looking forward to saddling-up my Snowcat, and building the Mountain.

I checked the Mountain Sensors...it's another fine day atop the Mountain, too. Temps still are avoiding the freezing point, as they have for most of the last twelve days. Boreal finally updated their Mountain Webcam Image...it's not pretty, unless you believe that ski season should start no earlier than Thanksgiving! I wonder if Boreal's remaining patches of snow will last until the mercury starts to get into freezing territory, and their Snowmakers can make more Manmade on top?

Before I get reacquainted with my Mountain, there's one more Fall Touchstone that must be touched. Dungeness Crab Sportfishing Season opens November 7th. California's Dungeness are so delicious, I prefer them to New England's Lobster by a wide margin, and crab fishing is another way for SturgUrge and I to spend a few hours on the Briney Deep.

We made our first Crab Trip on the last weekend of last year's crab season in our local waters. We caught one keeper Dungee, a mess of Red Rock Crabs, and one really nice Halibut over two days fishing during an overnight trip to Tomales Bay. On that trip, we threw back a dozen Dungees that were just 1/8 of an inch undersized. Weather permitting, we'll be back out there to keep some of them now that they've been growing, unmolested for three months!

Dungeness Crab are a big deal on San Francisco Bay Area tables, and are the hit appetizer for the Thanksgiving Spread.

I can't hardly wait!