starting route to...

 ...Target.  Yeah, we're boring like that.  Yesterday, we soaked up the sun and went in the pool for a while, you cannot stay in this sun for too long.  Paul is working from here, so when I say "we", I mean Camille and I.  (He takes breaks and throws the ball for the pups, and gets in the pool after a quick run, yes he still runs in the heat)(He takes the dogs on a mile walk/run in the morning, too).

Into the cool AC of the house for a cold drink and some schoolwork for Camille as I read Atonement, and we plotted the rest of the day.  Honest disclosure:  I was hesitant to drive to Target, because it's getting on a highway, and lots of traffic.  I didn't want to let that stop me, especially because Cam wanted to go.  So off we went, in the heat of the day.  Backing out of the garage was easier this time, and we got there with no issues.  

I saw these sweaters in the little girls's section, and suggested Cam try one on...she got the cream colored one, it was $14, not bad for a sweater these days.

I tried on a bathing suit, it was a NO.  We wandered and meandered, she found a pink tank top, a bathing suit top, and we got some cajun snack mix and seltzer.   I talked to Sonja on the phone while we shopped, she was heading in to work the night shift.  

We decided not to go to Marshall's, as it was after three and we wanted to go in the pool again.  Then a strange thing happened:  we spotted a Baskin Robbins.  I asked Camille if she had ever gone there.  She had not.  hmmm.  The car seemed drawn to it, next thing we knew, we were parked there and going in.  My review:  pricey, but really yummy.  I wanted the pumpkin pie, but the girl working there said customers have been disappointed with it, and offered a sample.  It was way way too sweet.  So I chose coconut nut, which was a mistake...so many frozen nuts on my poor old molars...tasted good, but not outstanding.  The second scoop, shh yes, we each got two scoops...was German chocolate, with the coconut and caramel and nuts...oh dear, it was delicious.  Sickeningly sweet though.  I could have had one quarter of it and been happy.  The nice girl there gave us humungous scoops.  The cone is the best part though, and I thought of dumping some of the ice cream, but I just ate it all.  ugh.  

Then I remembered I forgot to get something in Target that Paul had asked for, so we went back in.  This time we knew we were going straight home afterwards, so we got popsicles.  Cam's idea, popsicles in the pool, she's brilliant.

Camille took these as we were driving.  The phone pics just don't capture the enormity and the awesomeness of the desert.  It's not beautiful, to me, but it is amazing.  It's so different from our normal Target commute!  

The chai cake with brown sugar buttercream...I have stayed out of it since the night we made it...it's too good though.

Anyway, we went back out in the pool until the backyard shaded over, then it was time to make dinner.  I had marinated that $1.97 a pound London Broil, a lot of good that did ha.  I seared it in the iron frying pan, then left it in there with the top on for a bit, it was tasty but mostly tough, some bites were really good.  We also had oven roasted potato chunks and Brussel sprouts.  (I tossed the potatoes in garlic and olive oil, some with Frank's Hot sauce too, those were really good!)

It's so beautiful in the morning when the sun starts to rise.  I took the pic from in the house though, because there could be snakes out there...or poison toads or scorpions, or a tarantula.  I haven't seen any of those, but the boys had to call someone to remove a snake, and have seen both the toads and scorpions (and they've only lived here for a little over a year).  I know there are tarantulas because when I was looking up scorpions (they have night time scorpion hunting as a fun past time at some of the parks!), there was an actual tarantula map.    Nope, I was not looking to see if they are here on this road, don't want to know.  Burn the house down.  Creatures, ugh.  So no wandering into the back yard in the dark.  As it is, we have to go out first and check for snakes before we let the dogs out.  

It is rather lovely here.  I'm enjoying the time with Camille, the time with Paul, it's so weird to be a family of three ha.  The boys are gone for another week, so it's very quiet here.  We are not bored though.  The pool takes care of that!  

Have a really nice day!