Thought I would share some of the fun I squeezed in this week (in between all my portrait sessions and retouching work.)

Yep, this happened #1:

Fun fact – I’ve been walking 5 miles in my neighborhood Every. Single. Day. For years.

But lately my pal and I have been adding an extra hike each week – cuz the mountains have been missing us  😉

(Side note: I ask you, is there anything better than a long, skinny morning shadow?  Wish I looked like that in real life….)

This week’s adventure was at Blue Sky Reserve in Poway:  beautiful and fun!

We kept an eye out for wildflowers and enjoyed quite a few beautiful and colorful additions to our morning….

AND we spotted pretty good sized rattle snake!  EEK!

He was stretched out across the trail – but luckily we saw him well in advance so we just waited until he slithered away.

We were never in danger but Whew – does that ever get the heart pumping!

In case you want to know more about what to do if you are bitten by a rattlesnake, HERE’s a good article.

That wasn’t the only bit of danger we saw on our little hike – the hills are absolutely COVERED with poison oak – so be careful and stay on the trail.

Remember ‘Leaves of three….let them be!”

And here’s an extra hint from me, if you see a California Oak Tree there’s probably Poison Oak growing underneath it!

In case you are at all interested, here are my hiking essentials… I recommend you be this prepared too:

Two big bottles of ice water, my trusty sunhat, sunglasses and hiking boots, sunscreen, sanitizer, SNACKS,

an emergency blanket/mini First Aid Kit, pepper spray, snacks, pocket knife, and a sharpie.

Any guesses what the sharpie is for?

The sharpie is in case of Snake Bite!  [So I was ready!]

Did you know you should circle the location of your snake bite, write down the time next to it then draw a circle around the border of the swelling and write down the time…?

• Update this info every 15 or 30 minutes as the swelling moves up the limb and your symptoms develop – this will help emergency personal better access your situation.

Yep.  This happened #2

As a reward for all that exercise, we decided to grab lunch at the new Hamburger Factory Restaurant (in Old Poway Park) on our way home from the hike.

I’d read there was a new owner – so we had to try it out.  It looks cleaner, brighter and our food was delish!

I recommend you give it a try!

What do you like as your post workout treat?

What can I say:  I’m Feeling Blessed!

And do you know what else I’m blessed by?     Capturing amazing moments for you to treasure for a lifetime!