You know my methods, Watson.

The Malibu Lagoon restoration project, which split enviromentalists into opposing camps and wound up in the courts, got the green light from a San Francsico Superior Court judge yesterday. From KPCC:

On Thursday a judge lifted his preliminary injunction on the restoration and affirmed the California Coastal Commission's decision to permit the restoration of the lagoon on one of the state's most popular and scenic stretches of coast, reconfiguring an area where Malibu Creek meets the Pacific Ocean at Surfrider Beach.

The judge had imposed a delay to consider a lawsuit some environmental groups had filed. They claim that the restoration plan is invasive and extreme, but the judge ruled that draining and bulldozing at the site can move forward because the Coastal Commission had considered all alternatives -- and the project won't block access to Surfrider Beach.

Opponents say they're going to keep fighting. More details in the LA Times and Malibu's Patch site.

Objects in the rear view camera in the Prius are far more adorable (and yes, much bigger) then they seem.

Woodland creatures tempted to slake their thirst in the pools of Sierra Creek have this fearsome predator to contend with.

The sun? It rose. And we saw it.

Not much in the way of mist today so the horizon went from glowy to bright, just like that.

Meanwhile the tide rolled in:

And the light, bouncing everywhere...

Turned the trusty little point-and-shoot into a photo app.

Mornings at the lake are busy, what with commuter birds coming and going, and resident birds who survived the night (we have coyotes and owls and racoons and killer trout) (well, ok, no trout) searching for breakfast.

This trio of ducks, unusual breeds dropped off at the lake by a passerby, or so I've been told, are always together.

They hang out in a group:

They swim in formation:

And have apparently heard the US synchronized swimming team is holding auditions.

London in 2012!

Jake the Giant Puppy Dog has a job to do up at the barn, and he does it well, don't you think?

I'm looking outside and it's foggy again. Yesterday it was foggy, and it was foggy for too many days before that.

So I'm sorry, but it's time to stare at orange again, to warm the soul in the silky bloom and saturated color of the lowly nasturtium.

When the sun comes back (it will, won't it? I mean, it has to, right?) I'll share. Meanwhile, more sun-drunk colors from the archives:

If not for the red base of the feeder, it's hard to tell that the photo of these chilly, hungry, cranky and fogged-in birds is actually in color.

I love when the Malibu Riviera, the most affordable motel in town, fills up.

Anyone who cares about Malibu history will be saddened to learn that Rhoda May Adamson Dallas passed away last week. She was the daughter of Rhoda and Merritt Adamson, granddaughter of May and Frederick Rindge, and her memories of growing up in that remarkable house (that's the view from her girlhood bedroom window) and in this amazing landscape helped make the Adamson House such a rewarding place to visit.

From the obit in the Malibu TImes:

Born in Santa Monica on Feb. 14, 1917 to Merritt and Rhoda Agatha Rindge Adamson, Dallas' life spanned the entirety of Malibu's modern existence. Dallas' grandparents, Frederick Hastings Rindge and May Knight Rindge, were the last owners of Malibu Rancho before it opened to the public in 1925, followed by the Roosevelt Highway (now Pacific Coast Highway) three years later.

Dallas spent her childhood and early youth in the family's homes at Muirfield Road and 4th Street in Los Angeles, the Hancock Park area and in Malibu. The family's iconic Malibu home located next to Surfrider Beach is operated today by the state of California as the Malibu Lagoon Museum, a preserved relic of a vanished Malibu lifestyle. Among the displays at the museum are brightly colored Mediterranean-style tiles produced by Malibu Potteries, the company founded by her grandmother May Rindge in 1926.

The eldest of three children, Dallas' surviving family said she loved to explore the hills and trails of early Malibu with her sister, Sylvia, and younger brother, Merritt, Jr., and go swimming and boating in the ocean located just outside their back door.

Lots more in the obit -- and in the Adamson House itself, where the docents (full disclosure -- I'm a lapsed docent and am in no way unbiased on the subject of May Rindge and the Adamson house) give fascinating tours of one of the prettiest houses anywhere.

The fog, our new bff here in Malibu, lingers.

But who could care less?

Jake, who has yet to meet a tennis ball not worth fetching.

Maisie the Teacup Lab® meanwhile, keeps her toes (mostly) dry.

For a minute it was this:

But mostly it's been this:

Hot cocoa, anyone?

I miss the rain.

The crazy waves:

The sound on the roof:

The stormy light:

Ramirez Creek:

...and Latigo Falls:

Even the wet dogs:

I miss it all.

At the flea market a few weeks back, people kept leaning over this stroller, ready to coo and ahh at the adorable baby inside.

As far as the woman pushing the stroller was concerned, the admirers were right on the mark.

Yes, it's been open for a few weeks now but yesterday was the real, true, official grand opening of the new Malibu Lumber, an honest-to-goodness lumber yard and hardware store and nursery.

Located at the corner of Cross Creek and Civic Center Way, where the former masonry yard used to be, it has everything a hardware store should offer

Housed in a large and rambling U-shaped building -- check out the tree that's now part of the building -- it's fun to look at, fun to shop in, and has a great staff, all of whom clearly love the place.

Adios, big box chain stores. Hello, Malibu Lumber. And thanks, Dave Anawalt!

First of all, today's the annual Malibu Pie Festival. (Things have been a little bit nutty in my world lately so I'm skipping the event this year.)

And, to celebrate the impending opening of their new Malibu location, John and Alison at Diesel books are hosting a thank you party next week.

To the joy and relief of many people in Malibu, Diesel Books is rapidly taking shape.

First, John Evans and Alison Reid signed a contract with the Malibu Country Mart, and Diesel Malibu 2.0 was this:

A minute later, thanks to Malibu contractor Ken Nilsen and his remarkable crew, it was this:

For a few days it was this:

And just this morning it was this:

Check back on Saturday (that's tomorrow? already?) for even more Diesel news!

I wish I could, while pretending not to gloat, report this heat wave has passed us by in Malibu. It has not.

Yesterday, the thermometer read 88. Right now, I'm refusing to even look.

Jake, meanwhile, has the right idea. As the sun rose, hot as blazes as it cleared the horizon, my sweet baboo went swimming.

As much as I loved the moment yesterday when the fog let go, I loved this view even more.

Tuesday morning.

Part one:

Part two:

After a hiatus of a few years, I've hung another hummingbird feeder up at the barn. This little Anna's hummingbird is my new best friend and every other hummer's worst enemy.

For the first few days he watched from the office door:

...from the wisteria:

...and from the garden fence:

And made sure only those who knew the password got even a drop of nectar.

He got tired, of course, or maybe less cranky, because now the feeder is besieged -- I'll get some photos up soon -- and as fierce swarms of aerobatic birds drain a quart of food each day, I remember why I gave up playing hostess in the first place.

Lately we've been crossing paths with a herd of deer. The first time, I was headed home long after midnight when right in front of the car, they quickly crossed the road.

A few days later, on an afternoon hike, a deer and I came face to face in a scraggly copse. We scared the hell out of each other.

Then just last week, shadows in the oak grove, the herd walked through and vanished. We followed, the dogs and I, and found the faintest path that led to this glade. The light is green here, like you're under water. Even the birds, as they move from tree to tree, seem to swim.

Extreme caution doesn't even begin to cover it.

Four paws and a tail appear to be a good start.

Sometimes, the wilderness we walk in each morning gives us bad news about one of our feathered friends.

Jake the Giant Puppy Dog loves the tiny Labrador's bed.

Remember my little house?

The new owners made a few changes:

But it turns out they didn't like the Cove and have already left. The house, I suppose, will be for sale again soon, and soon will undergo even more change.

High five, Thomas Wolfe.

For the past few years the gray of May and the gloom of June have been arriving earlier and lasting longer.

Today, however, the sky and the clouds and horizon handed out a picture-perfect sunrise.

Hello, autumn.

At first it was sunny on Friday:

And then it wasn't:

And then it kind of was again. Sunny, that is.

They're hard at work at Diesel and, as the shelves go in and the colors go up, the new Malibu location of our fave indie bookstore moves ever closer to opening its doors.