Bodega Baycation :: Golf, tennis & swim camp

We hit the ground running for our week away in Bodega Bay.  A mere seven miles from home, but we treated it like a real vacation.  The Mahleys generously give us their home each year during the last week of July and we pack up the car and move on in.

The week was pretty grey, warm & insulated.  Typical July weather on the coast.  Lessons took up a good part of every day from about 9 - 2 pm and we lingered poolside most days after the end of Grady's swim lesson.  I finished two books in a matter of days and we napped, watched a few movies and  even took in an art show.  Grady also squeezed in some bike riding with Steve & a soccer practice.  Good God - we were busy, but we balanced it all quite nicely and decided not to be too social with friends and treat this like a real family vacation.  It was just what we needed.

Golf camp ended with a few holes on the actual course with a foursome of boys ready to put into practice all they had learned.  The etiquette of the game was loosely engaged and they helped each other keep track of their strokes and reminded one another what club should be used and when.  I think the real highlight for the little golfers was the chance to hang off the golf cart, as we shuttled them from hole to hole.  What service!

Tennis was Grady's favorite part of the week.  He loves the game and wants to start playing more often.  He even missed the end-of-the-week swim party just so that he could take his full tennis lesson.  He did grumble a bit about being the only kid with a used racket, but got over it quickly and seemed pleased by the tennis racket holder his dad let him borrow.  This kid loves accessories.

The yearly Bodega Bay Elementary School PTA-sponsored swim lessons were a big hit with my guy.  And while he perfected the backstroke, he still has a bit of work to do on his freestyle.  He swam every day and lingered with friends in the pool for an hour or so each day.

It was nice to see Grady's improved skills at the end of the week, as well as witness the stronger bonds of friendship formed with a few of the boys.  

As we rolled out of town late Friday afternoon and made the short trek home, I felt a wonderful sense of calm come over me.  Our week away from home was a nice pause to our normal daily routine(s) and we enjoyed much needed family time.  Grady thanked his dad for spending time with us and I think we all slowed down and enjoyed each other.

Same time next year?  You betcha.

Summer is...

:: Handmade margaritas

:: Warm, freshly picked strawberries that melt in your mouth

:: The time to learn new chores & responsibilities

:: Abundant artichokes served warm & cold

:: Our first meager harvest from our little blueberry bush

::  Haying (and allergy) season in Valley Ford

:: Bowls of cherries

:: Roadside gardening of the most fragrant sweet peas

:: Just plucked basil for the oh-so summery caprese salad

:: A good reason to celebrate dear friends

:: The time to work on home projects

:: Inflatable pool wrestling season

:: All about picking, eating, preserving & enjoying all the fresh fruit you can

:: Making time for simple art

:: Crunchy hillsides & billowy clouds

:: After dinner hikes behind our house with our family

:: A lovely reminder to slow down & bask in the sunshiny glow.

Lessons & Adventures

Soccer has started up and our son is totally into it.  Last year was his first time on a league team and he was fast, but mostly confused by the game.  This year he clearly understands what the game is about and is going for the ball and sporting his trademark long hair and running as fast as he can down the field.  It's a nice sight to see.

This summer has been pretty packed full of activities for the boy.  I usually don't over schedule our son, but I knew he would need to be busy or he would just sit in his room and read or play Legos.  All. Summer. Long.  So, I signed him up for summer academy, golf & tennis camps, swim lessons and a week long CYO camp in Occidental.

I also called a local birding legend, Don Toms, and asked if he could take Grady out for a few birding adventures in and around Bodega Bay.  They had two such outings last week and spotted terns, pelicans & 10 barn owls in one siting on Short Tail Gulch trail.  I love our community so very much and feel lucky to have this network of adults who really care about my kid and take the time to help broaden his view of this world.

The newly reopened Sebastopol library has been a godsend this summer.  It is new and improved with a wonderful children's literature and media section.  Last summer it was all about the books on tape, but this summer has been all about Lemony Snicket, the Geronimo Stilton series and the Percy Jackson series.  I'm also reading him the most gorgeous and magical book called Wildwood and I just love it when he begs me to keep reading just one more page?

Stephanie called yesterday and wanted to take the kids on a bike ride to Tomales.  The gang suited up and went out for a 2-1/2 hour ride that clocked them 14.5 miles all together.  I am so very proud of my little man and his godsisters.  They are such strong and amazing children.  And that Stephanie?  Well, you just can't say no to her infectious spirit and can-do attitude.  I'm so lucky she's in our lives.

Camping :: Gerstle Cove

So, let's start this off with a disclaimer that I'm not really much of a camper.  There.  I said it.  Actually, it's no secret.  Our family didn't really tent camp during my formative years.  They got a motor home when I was in high school and, of course, I was way too cool to spend my weekends with them in the sand dunes known as Glammis.  I think I missed out on a lot of fun with this camping business and I'm glad we joined our friends this week to rough it for a few days.

Steve purchased us a beautiful knew Coleman stove and prepped a big pot of Hecht chili the night before our departure.  I shopped for simple food and pre-cut & bagged most of our necessities.  We packed the car to the gills with tents, bikes, ice chests & golf clubs (see I told you we were roughing it!) and meandered up the coast to Gerstle Cove about 40 miles north of us.

Grady slept in his very own tent right next to ours (which he put up with his father's help).  He whittled marshmallow sticks for us and did a fair amount of bike riding with his dad.  We hiked, read books and ate really, really well.  One minor injury incurred by the boy was a fat lip from falling and hitting his mouth on his water bottle, but he shook it off quickly and was ready for the next adventure.  The campsite had an incredible amount of bird life and dozens of Stellar's Jays descended in the afternoons to try and steal unattended food from our table.

We really needed this little camping trip.  We slowed down, disconnected from our devices and made some really nice memories for our family.

July happenings

The month started off with a little home improvement and has steadily picked up steam.  We had a plumbing issue that required SL to remove part of our laundry room wall.  G was quick to help and discovered a new love of peeling paint.  Oh, the little pleasures.

Speaking of paint, check out the neon orange "Tequila Sunrise" paint on the entryway that I thought would be an awesome idea.  Um, NOT.  Oh, Steve indulged me and even painted over it all a few days later with a very safe, very boring "Burlap".  Live and learn, right?

The guys attended their annual Dodgers-Giants game in the city (where the Dodgers were creamed, by the way) and we volunteered at the annual Bodega Bay fireworks' show.  Laying on the asphalt parking lot at Westside Park is still the best seat in the house.

We have been picking, freezing, canning, eating, sharing & drinking our fair share of strawberries from Swallow Valley Farms (just around the corner).  I just love the produce this time of year.

We have met with friends old and new lately.  A Ukrainian student named Anastasiya is a new friend and we attended an all-American BBQ in her honor.  We've dined al fresco on our front deck with neighbors and rendezvoused in Petaluma with our Walla Walla friends, the Hartleys (who just moved to Hawaii).

Grady has been taking art lessons with a new teacher, Jean Warren, who is an amazing watercolorist.  He's finally enjoying this medium and has been keeping a summer drawing journal here at home, too.  I am going to absolutely love looking at that journal at the end of August and see all the little things that interested him over these summer months.  So far it has been birds, hillsides, flowers and Legos.

G attended a three week summer academy at his school.  Their focus was marine biology and he loved his teacher, Mr. Risley.  There has been a lot of summer learning going on in and outside of the classroom.

We have harvested our garlic and planted tomatoes and flowers around here.  Grady has taken on new responsibilities around the house and we've had him cooking & cleaning bathrooms (which he totally loves!).  He's assisted his father with DIY home projects, taken a fancy to his new mountain bike and helps me pace my morning runs.  He just completed a workshop with 15 year old cartoonist, Emma Capps, at the Charles Schulz Museum.  He was also schooled in the art of plant propagation from our dear friend and neighbor, Scott.

Food is ever present in these summer months and it's been so great to sit outside and enjoy our view and new deck heater.  S'mores have been incorporated to many an after-dinner meal around here and I made my first attempt at refrigerator pickles just this week.  We enjoyed our first heirloom tomato of the season and the blackberries are just starting to ripen on their thorny, inhospitable vines.

We attended a garden party at Patty & Charlie's last night on Bastille Day and I was reminded how very lucky we are.  Surrounded by redwood trees and dear friends.  Both very solid, beautiful and sacred.

And...I'm back.

Well, I guess three months was all I needed to get inspired, once again, for this little blog of mine.  I've actually quite missed coming here to this space and recording the miscellany of our daily lives.

So very much has happened in the time that I stopped writing here.  Our son turned nine years old, my mother came for a visit and helped out while I worked a long stretch of days for our community's biggest fundraiser.  I finished working on my first political campaign and celebrated same with a girls' trip to Big Sur.  School ended mid-June and it has been non-stop fun with the boy ever since.

I'm going to try to write here on a weekly basis and see how it feels.  For now, I will just pick up where we are and share with words and photos the rhythm of our home and lives.

Feels good to be here, again.