Autumn Comes to the Desert

In the last few weeks, the weather has finally cooled off here in the high desert. It is downright chilly in the mornings, especially when the wind starts to kick up and the tumbleweeds start to fly. I love it. There is nothing better than entombing yourself in a warm comforter as you go to sleep, and sporting fleece socks and comfy sweatpants around the house on the weekends (or if you are me, all the time). I think we skipped right to winter from summer, because the obvious signs of fall like the leaves changing are noticeably absent here in the Mojave.

Last week, my parents arrived from Minnesota for their first visit to the AV. On Friday, we went to Red Rock Canyon State Park, about 20 miles northeast of the town of Mojave. The scenic red rocks were beautiful, and a lot of fun to climb around. In retrospect, we're pretty lucky none of us broke a bone. We took a lot of fun pictures, and the park was almost empty so we had the run of the place. It was a great way for my parents to experience the desert landscape, and we're looking forward to going back with T's family when they visit over Thanksgiving.

Saturday we went to cheer on our Minnesota Wild hockey team as they took on the LA Kings at Staples Center. If you've read my blog before, you know that we take our hockey very seriously. Decked out in our Wild gear, we made our way into downtown LA. Outside of the Staples Center, there were flocks of emo tweens camped out in tents, awaiting Monday's premiere of the newest Twilight movie at the neighboring Nokia Theater. The game itself was disappointing, as the Wild had a very poor showing, falling to the Kings 2-5. It was fun to see the inside of the hallowed Staples Center, with a dynasty's worth of Lakers championship banners hanging from the rafters. We luckily didn't get into any drunken brawls with Kings fans, though passionate and loyal to their team, they proved to be less violent than LA baseball fans. They did however, lead the crowd in a "Twilight sucks" chant aimed at the aforementioned tent city as we exited the game. It was great to have the opportunity to see professional hockey at such a historic venue, and I definitely would like to get back for another game this winter.

On Monday, my parents dragged me to a taping of the Dr. Phil show. I was dreading it, and was very envious of T who got stay back and go to work. I made the comment as we waited in line that I better at least get some "decent swag" out of this. To my surprise, I got a whole bucketload of quality swag! In a ladies only taping (sorry Dad), my mom and I each received Sketchers sneakers, a yoga mat, free weights, toning pants, and a Vitamix blender - all together easily more than $500 worth of stuff. Dr. Phil, you are growing on me, my man. It was a fun experience. Even the second giveaway-free taping was interesting, and the staff does a great job of maintaining a fun and festive atmosphere for the audience. After the taping, I bid my parents adieu at LAX and snuck back home right before rush hour traffic took hold.

We are now in Thanksgiving mode. Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday after Christmas, and I am excited to be hosting my first big family Thanksgiving dinner this year. T's parents and two brothers are flying in for five days, and there is a 20-lb turkey currently residing in the majority of my refrigerator. I did a trial run of homemade apple pie yesterday. I have had a historically tragic relationship with homemade pie crust, resulting in unsightly cracks and fissures in my pies. Usually I just cheat and buy the premade crusts. A friend recently turned me on Joy the Baker's blog, and Joy gave me the courage to try again. I made her With Love, Apple Pie with How To Make Pie Crust… do it.. It was a triumph! I can't say it was aesthetically pleasing, but the crust held together fabulously, and the pie tastes heavenly. It was a very easy recipe to follow, but was quite time consuming. It takes up most of the day, but is well worth it for festive holiday occasions.

The next few days will be a flurry of preparations, cleaning, and baking. I am excited to celebrate Turkey Day with a house full of family, food, and fun. I wish you and yours safe travels and a very blessed Thanksgiving holiday!