I’m In Love With A Mule

I am reminded why living in California is so desirable now that the rainy, cold days of winter have been replaced by the gentle temperatures of spring . The rolling hills are cloaked in vibrant green grass and dotted with poppies. Our impeccably clean beaches are still too chilly for water sport seeking tourists and belong to the locals. In the distance stand our majestic mountains that reflect the peachy-pink sunsets and velvet blue night skies. It truly is beautiful countryside. My family and I have begun spending much of our weekends outside since all this splendor is just outside our door.. We have enjoyed spontaneous picnics in meadows alongside Ortega Highway and short hops to Big Bear to partake in snowball fights. There have been full and fatiguing days spent peddling our beach cruisers back and forth on the boardwalk between the Huntington, Newport and Balboa Piers, followed by evening marshmallow roasts at the fire pits on the beach. Yes, life is good. We pack an collection of stuff for each of these little journeys. No trip is complete without lip balm, munchies, cans of pop, cold water, frisbees, a deck of cards, blankets and beach towels. My most beloved of all these little provisions is the Ice Mule. While shopping at a hunting/fishing outlet store, my husband found our Mule ( which is funny because he would never harm a fly). He thought it might be something we could use someday. He was right. This marvelous cooler bag has kept our refreshments icy cold for ridiculously long periods of time. In fact, I recently realized that it had been left in our SUV overnight and was not looking forward to extracting the deviled eggs that surely would emit lethal fumes upon removal from their Tupperware grave. astonishingly when I opened the insulated bag to discover that everything inside was still cold to the touch! Twenty four hours later the Ice Mule was still working hard. Now I take the Ice Mule with me when I do grocery shopping. I transfer the frozen items into my cooler bag and carry on with my errands all over town before returning home. Quite simply, I adore this thing! Soon the blossoming green hills will turn a drab shade of brown and the seaside will become a congested, noisy mecca for the masses. Traffic on PCH will be reduced to a slow crawl due to tourists looking for the closest parking spot to the beach (hint, these don’t exist in the summer). When we do decide to combat the crowds, you can bet that our Mule will be with us to keep our beverages, snacks, sun tan lotion and temperaments cool. On the especially hot 90 degree days, which we always get toward the end of summer, it will be time to sit by the pool with our diet cola, popsicles and iced tea. To reduce effort during the lazy days of summer, I am planning on using my Ice Mule poolside, even though the kitchen will only be a few feet away. In fact, once I settle into that lounge chair I might just stay there all summer long.. Written by Windy Reigns, Outdoorswoman Extraordinaire!