good news...

our latest energy bill arrived last week while i was on vacation. i am happy to report that it went down $6.80 from last month. which, okay, doesn't really seem like all that much. but it puts us at only $35.69 ($12.77 for gas, 22.54 for electric). i think that's pretty good. the goal, of course, will be to get it even lower next month. not sure how to go about that, as we have already stopped use of the dryer and television (except for the occasional movie). we don't have an air conditioner and we've gotten pretty good about turning lights off when not in use. the only area i think we could improve upon would be to take shorter showers (less hot water to heat), insulate our hot water heater (i've been meaning to see if jeremy will do this), and unplug things that aren't in use. it's said that appliances and chargers suck electricity as long as they're plugged in. but will unplugging really be reflected on our energy bill? hmmm. who knows. anyway, if i have time tomorrow i'll go around and see what can be unplugged. it seems like kind of a hassle to keep plugging & unplugging though. i guess that's what power strips are for? stay tuned for next month's bill! septemeber is often our hottest month here in california, so we won't be needing any heat!

side note: today was jeremy's birthday. he had the day off so the three of us day-tripped our way to tomales bay in inverness. we found this teeny little beach called "chicken ranch." the weather was perfect, no fog at all, just a few high clouds and a gentle breeze. we didn't swim but lucy got to stomp her little feet in the (surprisingly warm) water. on our way back we stopped in point reyes for an early dinner and birthday desserts from a cute little cafe. it was lots of fun to find new places not far from home, places that he had no idea about, despite growing up relatively nearby. here are a few pics...