Covered Up

I let my hair air dry yesterday and my natural waves didn’t improve after I slept on them. I was too lazy to straighten my hair for a single appointment today, so I put a hat on it.


Poncho, INC. Dress, Muse (gift from a reader). Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Hat, Nine West. Sunglasses, Target. Necklace, Emily Lyn Design. Bag, Vieta.

Sporty Sunday: Hiking Cache Creek Ridge (Part One)

Every Sunday, Jasper and I take a hike. I prefer to head into the Sierra Nevada, but the high country is inaccessible until May, at the earliest. In the winter, we stick to the lowlands and I’m always prepared to be disappointed. After all, what could compare to my beloved craggy junipers, austere granite, and gem-like lakes?

We’ve driven by the Judge Davis Trailhead (near the intersection of Hwy 16 and Hwy 20) a few times and have even walked the first quarter mile on a potty break. That first section left me with an impression of a dull, wide dirt road, studded with horse turds. But I gave it another chance - also hoping that the trail would be less dusty (and maybe less poopy) in late January. I’m glad we gave it a go.

Once past that first mile, the views open up and this is a classic Coast Range hike. I never seem to tire of the golden, oak studded meadows of Northern California. (And Jasper never tires of romping through the grass - picking up ticks.) Here, the meadows are interspersed with stretches of chamise that make a lovely contrast to the red dirt of the trail. Views of the nearby mountains and ridges are breathtaking (even if it is no Sierra Nevada).



As a lover of all things abandoned, the highlight of the trail was the decrepit bulldozer at mile 5.78. It’s probably an environmental hazard, but I loved the contrast of the rusty machinery and the unspoiled landscape. I forced Jasper to pose for multiple pictures on the thing. (Look for them on his instagram: jasper_the_bordercollie.)

The only drawback of this hike was the lack of shade and water. Even in January, I was concerned about dehydration. I brought 64 ounces of water in my daypack, but with no ponds to cool my pup, we consumed three-quarters of the water by the time we reached Bulldozer Junction. I had originally considered hiking the full 9.9 miles and back, but turned around at the bulldozer due to water shortage.

We plan to hike the other end of the trail next weekend, so I’ll get another bulldozer fix and Jasper will get to splash in the creeks that intersect the other trailhead.

Source: Evans, Stephen L. "Cache Creek Ridge Trail." Top Trails Sacramento. 4th ed. Birmingham: Wilderness, 2012. Print.

Length: 11.56 miles (Judge Davis Trailhead to Bulldozer Trail junction and back)

Water: None available. Seasonal ponds were dry.

Use: We were the only ones on the trail!

Differences from published description: Many more trail intersections. (Advise following the signs and the widest track, instead of trying to decipher the book’s directions.) No electric fence intersections. All ponds were dry in January.

Jasper’s rating: 3.5 paws out of 5.

Sporty Sunday is a recurring feature in which I share my fitness routine and offer and solicit advice. While this content might seem a little out of place in an outfit diary, a healthy, strong body is the foundation of my wardrobe. I hope to inspire my readers to be fit as well as stylish!

Rio Americano Band

I was never a band geek, but if I could have been, I’d have played a horn. And I would have liked to have played it at a school that announces its love of music from the moment one pulls into the parking lot. The colorful Rio Americano [High School] Band mural celebrates the three genres of the students' music: Classical, Pop (or Modern), and Jazz. Since I can’t be in the band, I, instead, enjoyed posing in front of this colorful mural.


Shirt, Levi’s (thrifted). Pants, Da-Nang (consignment). Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Sunglasses, Target. Scarf, Canvas Boutique. Necklace, Zad. Purse, Nine West.

Working for the Weekend

Every work week should be only four days. That’s long enough to make the weekend welcome but short enough to stay upbeat and energetic through the last hours of the last day.


Dresses, Polo Ralph Lauren layered over Banana Republic (both consignment). Tights, gift. Boots, Sofft (gift). Scarf, Canvas Boutique. Brooch, gift. Bag, Melie Bianco.

Perfect Sweater

I really like this sweater. I just adore the color, neckline, and shape. It isn’t the warmest, but it’s well-suited to Sacramento’s mild winter.


Sweater, thrifted. Dress, Lipstick. Tights, Target. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Sunglasses, Target. Necklace, heirloom. Rings, heirloom, vintage, thrifted, and/or gift. Bag, Melie Bianco.

Shaggy

My hair is. Driving. Me. Crazy.

I’m overdue for a cut and color. My cut (really just a clean-up because I’m growing it out) is scheduled for Tuesday and my color is next Saturday. In the meantime, I want to pull it out. At least I got my neck shaved yesterday so I look a little less sasquatch-ish from behind.


Jacket, BSB Jeans (thrifted). Dress, Tucker for Target. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Nine West. Sunglasses, Target. Necklace, Stella & Dot. Bag, Charming Charlie.


Coincidentally, I had another bad hair day just over a year ago, in this same dress, posing in this same location (my back yard):Anyone else feeling my growing-out pain?

Highline

I seem to have unusually long shins. “Knee-high” boots almost never are on my legs. So, I was delighted when I discovered I could flip up the cuff of these Rampage boots for a knee-high look. (And in the boots younger, firmer days, they stayed knee-high, instead of slouching down to the top of my calf.)

I didn’t pay more than $20 for these boots and have certainly gotten good use* of them, but they are ready to be retired. The pleather is hopelessly scratched and I’ve just about worn through the soles. I’ve been searching for a replacement for years, concentrating on over-the-knee boots (in hopes that they will actually reach to my knee if not above) and discovered the Stuart Weitzman Highline boot. It’s currently on sale for $459 on the Stuart Weitzman site, but that price tag is daunting. Beefy asked me if I really want to spend “half a grand” on a pair of boots. What do you think? Are the boots worth it?


Shirt, Forever 21. Shorts, Dolce Vita. Tights, Forever 21 layered over We Love Colors. Boots, Rampage. Sunglasses, Target. Necklace, Heart Boutique. Blazer, Love Tree. Bag, thrifted.



*I found 50 of my outfit photos with these Rampage boots. Far too many to repost here!

Killer Quail

This week, Beefy and I independently discovered the mural at 1716 L Street. I was enamoured with the killer quail as I walked to Old Soul and Beefy admired its sprawling, 200 foot length as he drove down L. We returned on the weekend to document John Stuart Berger’s warped nature scene, Furlow Furrows.


Shirt, Levi’s (thrifted). Dress, Eddie Bauer (thrifted). Leggings, Allen B. Boots, Madden Girl. Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, Pangaea. Bag, Nine West. Belt, thrifted.