hump day nuggets :: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week
It seems like our summer has finally arrived and with that comes a whole lot of living, soaking up the fun, spending time with dear friends and watching our boy explore the world around him.
When I downloaded the photos from this last week, they made me smile. What a full and wonderful week.
nuggets.
:: Dip. This picture is a bit fuzzy and dreamlike. G went for an impromptu dip in our friends' vacation rental hot tub up in Sereno del Mar in north Bodega Bay. There was no way he was going to miss an opportunity to soak in the hot water and count it as a bath. No way.
:: Take it in. The sunsets have been epic and are right on time as we eek out the last few days of summer on the Sonoma Coast.
:: Delicacies. I love it when we are with good friends, a glass of wine of wine in one hand and a plate brimming over with oysters. It seems absolutely decadent, but easy at the same time (especially since I never shuck them?).
Hog Island Oyster Company is just 15 minutes south of us and I do believe it's
oyster season, as we are at that time of year where the months end in
ber...September, October, November, December. Yay!
:: The boy had a tough week last week. Sent to the principal's office, cut his left eye on a soccer net and then got sand in his right eye the very next day. So many lessons learned this week on the playground.
:: I took a screenprinting workshop last weekend at
Stitchcraft in Petaluma. We learned some basics, got our screens and then went to town on paper and fabric. Our
instructor was really great and I loved the process. I'm planning on ordering a custom screen using one of Grady's illustrations and then customizing a few handmade gifts for xmas for our family and friends.
I made this shirt for my bird-loving boy. He had me customize it even more by cutting off the sleeves this morning before school. He has very definite ideas about his fashion and wants it how he wants it. Don't we all?
:: Harvest. I've slowed down on the applesauce-making, but had to gather more pears and apples this weekend before they all fell from the tree and began to rot. My plan is to can them this later in the week and preserve for future enjoyment or gifting.
:: Spin. I love watching my boy notice the natural world around him. He has a keen eye for the little things in life and his power of observation is being honed with each passing day. This little spider had been busy on a Saturday morning.
:: Change. G has moved from the top bunk, to the lower bunk - bringing with him artwork, his blankie, a stack of books and decorating the slats above him with glow-in-the-dark stickers. He has been reading quite a bit, listening to his Harry Potter & Tin Tin cassettes and just discovered that you can listen to Dodger games on the radio. Whoa. At this rate, he may never leave his room.
:: Imbibe. I love me a martini. Dry, slightly dirty and with good, fat olives. My friend-neighbor-cohort and I decided that it would perhaps be safer (and cheaper!) to enjoy a few vodka martinis at home. The husband makes a really lovely cocktail and it seemed like eons since we just made a stiff drink, BBQ'd and sat around our dining room table sharing stories, creative ideas, laughter and food together with our good friends. Nothing like it.
:: Grow. I was late to the party this year in planting my sunflowers, but they seem to be doing their thing and are just about to bloom.
:: Make. I ordered
this book because I had checked it out three times from the library (my indicator that I must own it) and made the
blackberry apple fruit leather. This is not at all like the sticky sweet fruit leather that you find in the stores. It has intense flavor and the one batch I made will surely last us about a month, with daily strips added to G's lunch bag. If you have a surplus of fruit, I would give this a try. It is easily modified.
:: Grow. The boy has planted, watered (or sometimes forgot to water) and harvested his very own carrots. He
loves carrots. We washed them off, cooked them up and sprinkled with a bit of brown sugar. He was very proud of his little harvest.
:: Child Labor. Oh, how I love free child labor. My car was a hot mess and the boy jumped at the chance to wash it. His dad helped him with the roof, but he had a blast spraying the car, himself, the chickens, etc. Not one complaint out of him about doing this job. I think I've finally figured out a chore that he will happily perform and not give me any grief about. I will have to test this out next week and see if it was a fluke or not.
:: Homework. School has been pretty easy for the boy up to this point, but the level of homework has definitely increased with the start of third grade. I'm sure his love of reading helps him in lots of subjects, but math is finally starting to click for him.
:: Bloom. By the end of this week one sunflower had started to bloom and half a dozen more are on the verge.
:: Game Day. G is slowly getting the hang of things in soccer. He's running in the right direction, making contact with the ball and enjoying the after game snack. Snacks seem to be a big part of the game for 8 year old boys.
:: Power. The boy was convinced he could make this contraption go all the way to the top. He mustered up all his power and he got to the 2.00 mark. He was not discouraged and vowed to try it again at next year's Harvest Fair at the Two Rock Presbyterian Church.
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| Shark tooth necklace from Alaska via the Mahleys |
:: Play! We jumped in the car and headed to the beach after school yesterday.
I'm so glad we did. It's not often that Steve joins us at the beach, as he's usually
working and tied to his computer or showing property on the coast. However, the weather has been hot inland and the guys clearly wanted to play soccer
and bocce in the sand. Quite ambitious for a Tuesday. I just love watching them play together and strengthen their father-son bond.
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| G jumping at Doran Beach on 09.20.11 |
I also love this picture.
Happy hump day out there. Go seize the day!
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