MACINTOSH MONDAY

Hold onto your hats, today's post will be a photo overload of lots of little things that Mr Macintosh has been up too recently.



Some of you may have seen, via social media, Mr Mac's photo showing the small amount of dirt left from the most epic face plant I have ever seen. It really was too funny, I wish I had captured it on camera. It had me laughing for the remainder of the walk, despite his unamused looks that clearly indicated that he blamed me for his accident!


Unfortunately this isn't the greatest photo in the world but it does show what Macintosh does whilst we are busy cooking or doing anything in the kitchen. He wedges his face into the spot between the sofa cushions and just stares at you. Odd dog.



Poor old reindeer is even more destroyed than before. What's more upsetting however is the scary look on Mac's face that shows determination to finish off what's left!


Another not great iPhone photo, but this is our closet. Its where Mr Mac runs and hides when sonic booms happen. Living in California, near an airbase but also in the middle of desert there are a considerable amount of them and some can be quite loud. They certainly make me jump!! Poor guy. 


I'll leave you with a cute photo. This is Mr Handsome at his best. Cute, cuddly and sweet.
Happy Monday! 
H

HIKING THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL...AGAIN

We seemed to have developed a love for the Pacific Crest Trail. We love walking the section near us, as we've mentioned during a Macintosh Monday. I'd say the love for it was started by the sheer beauty of the trail itself, but it was definitely fuelled when I read Cheryl Strayed's autobiography of her time walking the trail. (Found here) Whatever the case, with Andrew's day off on Monday we decided we would spend the day in the great outdoors hiking and we naturally decided that we should hike part of the PCT. 

We drove for a couple of hours north until we found a place called Kennedy Meadows Campground, which was in the Sequoia National Forest. It really was in the middle of nowhere. We passed a few mini towns and then what can only be described as a rural outpost of a few little houses. It was super peaceful though. We started our trek at the campground and after walking less than a mile we came across the Kern river which we followed for quite a while. 







Macintosh absolutely loved the hike. Just the space to roam about and all the new smells of the wild animals. We did spot a four legged grey-ish animal that he caught the scent of and followed for quite a while. He also enjoyed being able to dash into the river for either a cool down or a quick drink. It was about 25 degrees at the hottest part of the day and so he was soon panting as we were walking along. He wasn't quite used to hiking in the heat, although judging by our weather patterns out here he'll have to get adjusted pronto!



There were lots of amazing views and scenery for most of the hike until we came to the last mile before we turned back. Here we discovered the devastation that comes with Californian forest fires. Andrew had read that a few years ago there had been some fires in the area and although that is sadly commonplace in our state it was the first time we had come face to face with the aftermath. I was quite emotional about the whole thing. It seemed so sad to see huge swaths of forest just reduced to a blackened mess. We decided soon after wandering through that to turn around. We'd already done 5 miles to that point and had to do the 5 miles back, but to be honest regardless of how tired my legs were I don't think I could have walked through much more of that. It was too heartbreaking.


The whole hike was amazing fun though and we absolutely loved it. We kept talking about all the other sections of the PCT we could do and the possibility of whether we'd ever survive doing a long weekend hiking/camping trip on part of it. Although I love the idea of it, and feel inspired by Miss Cheryl, I'm not sure I'm quite brave enough to manage, let alone strong to haul all I'd need. But you never know, Andrew has persuaded me to do some pretty crazy things. I guess just watch this space!
H

VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine's Day this year seemed to slip past almost unnoticed for us. I had grand plans for adding to our winter decor but it never really materialised as I'd wished. I did spend some time learning how to crochet hearts and I strung together some heart bunting, but it only went across the sideboard and it didn't go much beyond that!


The above picture shows you some of the bunting and also the little paper hearts that were cut out rather hastily to add to the decor. Our cards this year were colour matching which makes me rather happy. I know red is the traditional colour and therefore it shouldn't be that surprising but red doesn't always feature in the Woodruff cards. We are rather unconventional. 

We didn't really celebrate the day too much other than the giving of some gifts and a nice home cooked meal at the end of the day, which we took zero photos of (probably because we were too engrossed in watching The Bodyguard!)


Andrew's main present involved an amazing books called 'Maddie on Things'. This guy and his dog, Maddie, took some truly amazing photos, posed in different places and created a photobook all about it. It's incredible how patient this dog is and how they manage to take such incredible shots. Not sure Macintosh would be up for that.



My present from Andrew was this amazing clutch bag that I absolutely loved when I saw it in the mall a while back. It was a lovely surprise to have him buy it for me and I am literally desperate for an occasion to use it now. 


So there we go, our mini not too exciting Valentine's Day. We hope yours was just as lovely and check back soon for a post on how we made the most of President's Day. 
H

MACINTOSH MONDAY

This week Mr Macintosh's cheeky side came out a little bit. Unsurprisingly it surrounds food, or more specifically coffee! Andrew and I were pleasantly sitting after dinner one night drinking our coffees when Mr Big Nose starts sniffing out my coffee. Of course he is not content to just sit back and smell it so he slowly creeps across from his sofa to me in order to finish off the remainder of my coffee! Obviously I photographed it before I told him off, which Andrew says is encouraging him but I disagree, it is simply good documenting!

Here in slow-mo format is the event...





Oh Macintosh, at least we can laugh about your antics. Most of the time.
H

BEN HOWARD

On Tuesday night Andrew and I had the chance to head into LA to see Ben Howard perform. We braved the rush hour traffic to get in. It is pretty much the worst time to be driving through LA, but Andrew managed it well. We got there early enough for me to have another new American experience; Five Guys. This is a burger place that has a deceptively simple menu but you can pretty much just build the burger yourself. It also comes with free helpings of peanuts, in their cases, which enable you to make a mess all over the table!




The event was held at the Shrine Expo Hall which was an incredible looking building right near the University of Southern California. It was a really interesting looking building. The picture below does not do it justice at all. It was shot on an iPhone so it wouldn't be amazing but you can at least see the decorative windows. It was very Arabic in its theme and decor. Probably why Andrew loved it.



So the actual concert was amazing. We haven't been to quite such a chilled out one before but it was fun. Here are just a couple of pictures that show you it. Sorry for the terrible quality.




Sadly we haven't got any more concerts planned for the near future. Guess we better get looking for some...
H



LATELY...

There is no unifying factor to this month's lately post. I could do a valentines themed one but that's just cheesy and I'm not a fan of cheese. So instead you'll get a collection of random things, probably ending with a bear. As usual.


I have becoming increasingly more fascinated with pottery and am really determined to go to a pottery class at some point. In my head I'd be able to create lots of bespoke, one off pieces but I suspect my pottery abilities are probably quite limited! These pots took my fancy because of the geometric patterns, which are yet another thing I love. I'm also liking the natural looking cork top, gives it yet another unique look.


These shelves are amazing. They are industrial looking and yet have clean lines. I love the styling too. The white, glass and natural elements really work together. If only our walls were strong enough to hold these...


This is a view of Yosemite. It's on our radar for this year, hopefully when a friend comes out to visit. With the weather warming up here Andrew and I are already beginning to think about all those places we want to visit and see. We've been here a while now so we better get moving if we want to accomplish all that we keep talking about!


The greys. The natural textures. The simplicity. The mustard colour pop. The plant. Oh I love it. Definitely inspiration. Perhaps Andrew could build me a coffee table like that for when we get back to the UK. He's pretty handy is Andrew!


This is Brussel sprout hash. I know, I know it sounds gross, but it is actually amazing! It really is. We had it for lunch the other week and it was so tasty. Try it, I dare you!



Oh please...what do I even say about these guys?! I just want them. All. Of. Them. 
H








SUPER BOWL XLIV

Sunday February 1st was a day of epic importance in the calendar of many Americans. It was the Super Bowl XLIV where reigning champions the Seattle Seahawks took on the New England Patriots in an attempt to claim the title for the second year in a row. I was pretty excited about it as I had yet to experience a Super Bowl. 

But I need to back up a little at this point because if you are anything like me you will have no clue what American football is even about, or how its played, or even what the Super Bowl means. The basics of American football can be watched in the hilarious video below. It was all we watched and we understood just fine!!


The Super Bowl is the culmination of the football year and it is highly anticipated each year. I would try to explain it all but I really can't, or at least not very well. This article gives you a better understanding. My simple explanation is that it involves the championship winners and some wild cards battling it out until the final game on Super Bowl Sunday. This year that involved the Seahawks and the Patriots.

Obviously Andrew and I wanted to get involved in this American tradition as we want to experience as much culture as possible whilst we are here. So we decided we'd need to pick a team and support them fully. Last year Andrew picked the Seahawks, just to be different as everyone he was with in Florida was supporting the opposing team. This year we really had no contest, it had to be the Seahawks again. I mean we could never support the NEW England Patriots. I mean come on, New England. The old one is best thanks! 

Some of you may have seen how into it we got already via Instagram. There was dressing up and some face painting. It was amazing fun! (For those of you who don't understand the Starbucks reference, Seattle is where it originated.)




The giant hands were a hit with the kids and some of our adult friends too!


We totally got into the game though. We were cheering and adapting British football chants to fit where possible. I think we made our American friends laugh, that or they were embarrassed! To be honest we had very little idea of what was happening and knew the very basics but thats it, however we got carried away in the spirit of it all. 

Another thing to note is that the Super Bowl is not just about the football. Its about the food, of which there is a lot, and its about the adverts during the breaks and the half time show. To be honest its such a big deal that the game almost feels like a minor part of the day. At our party there was a lot of yummy food, including some amazing guacamole made by the guy in the picture above!



The half time show was Katy Perry and other guests. I was underwhelmed at it. Having said that the shark costumes were hilarious. The adverts were alright, I was expecting better because of all the hype. You see the advert slots during the Super Bowl are highly coveted and cost LOADS. Its a big deal as so many people are watching. My favourite advert though was the skittles one, seen below!


So overall Super Bowl Sunday was pretty epic. The actual match itself was intense. There was some shouting and some moments of panic. The last quarter was heartbreaking, especially as the Seahawks looked set to score a touchdown but that last play....oh it was maddening. The winners in the end were....I'm loathed to say it....the New England Patriots. Boo! But like I said it was an epic day. We loved it! Well minus the end...



Gutted...
H



MACINTOSH MONDAY

Macintosh is a very patriot pooch. He loves Britain and he wants everyone to know it. So when Andrew brought home a Union Jack from work naturally he wanted to wear it to show everyone his patriotism. Now because he can be quite a vain beagle and when he is we have to take lots of shots of him. However he wasn't in the mood for it quite as much this time but he looked so cute that we wanted to take lots of shots. In fact you could say it turned into a full photoshoot, except I'm pretty sure you don't have to bribe the models with fake bacon to get them to stay extra still! Still it was a fun photoshoot and we got some fun results. 





I love his face in this last one. It clearly communicates his dislike of us and what we are making him do! By this point though I think the treats were beginning to run out and therefore there was no reason for him to be posing like this!


But this is my personal favourite though. He's so darn cute. He just makes you want to take photos...ALL. DAY. LONG!
H