Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Indian Summer

The bay in Bodega Bay
We wait all summer long for the end of summer, so that our real summer can begin.  Yes, Indian Summer is here on the coast and we've had a string of hot days, no wind and beautiful cloud plumes shooting across our blue skies.  I love this time of year.

Our calendars were packed every single day this last week and we worked well as a family doing what needed to be done, so that we could enjoy all of the extracurricular activities after school as a family.  Soccer practice & games, dinner parties, art shows and political fundraisers.
We met Scott & Jill's extended family and Grady learned about the game Ninja.  The older kids were so sweet with him and he entertained them with his crazy feet trick (above).  Scott's dad, Van, continued to harass me about when I would be getting Grady a cell phone.  We sent him the above shot of our make-shift phone and just love teasing him about this topic.

I can't say Grady will never have cell phone, but I can safely say that it will be a very, very long time before that happens.
The pampas grass is in full bloom and dotting the coast all the way up Highway One and around the bay.  Growing up, my mom used to have a bunch of pampas grass in an old ceramic country crock in our living room.  I still remember spraying it with hairspray, so it wouldn't shed on our royal blue carpet (remember it was the 80's) and constantly having to vacuum up all the little pieces that cleverly avoided the sticky spray.  

When we moved here I thought it was ugly, as it reminded me of the stuff in my living room growing up.  But now...I love it.  It's a harbinger of autumn and a reminder to soak up the sunshine because colder days are coming.
We attended the victory celebration for our local 5th District Supervisor, Efren Carrillo, on Friday night.  I worked on the campaign this year and this Fiesta was to celebrate his re-election, as well as bringing the community together over Mexican food, a margarita machine & copious amounts of cupcakes (Isabella ate 13 all by herself!).  The kids ran around the event and had a good time taking photos with the mariachi band, getting put behind bars in the back of the Sheriff's car and waiting patiently for the end of the party so that they could bring home the largest orange balloon in the house.
Bert & Steph were in Vegas for a wedding and we had the honor of having Isabella & Sophia here for the weekend.  The kids had several soccer games on Saturday and it was blazing hot in Sebastopol. We hurried home to get ready for a little dinner party and attend an art show at West County Design.  The kids played so well together and got good and dirty.  The laughter and energy was palpable while they were here and they finally drug themselves into the house as the sun was setting over the dry, crunchy hillsides and plopped on the couch to watch movies and play Legos.
Cheryl & Tony, Kai & Clare and the kids were here for the evening.  We enjoyed the back deck and the kids spotted a Great Horned Owl in the back pasture, as well as collected owl feathers & cow carcasses.  We sure do know how to have a party, eh?

We celebrated the eve of the eve of the eve of Sophia's 9th birthday.  I do love the eve of almost any special day or holiday and the fact that you can simply make any day a celebration.  She was delighted to be celebrated and the real gift was having both of the Rangel girls in our home.
Sunday we stayed in our pajamas all day long.  I needed a day to reboot and Grady did, too.  We watched a documentary about Christo & Jean-Claude's Running Fence through Valley Ford and spotted our house in the opening scene.  We read books on the front deck and started a few art projects.

We found a clever use for fallen eucalyptus leaves and G thought they would make great faux bird feathers.  I adorned mine with words and symbols that are important to me.

Art.
Family.
Books.
Nature.
Home.

It was another amazing week on the home front.

Warm days.
Cool nights.
Children laughing.
Excellent food.
An abundance of gifted tomatoes.
Found owl feathers.
A birthday party.
Watching the season say goodbye.
Hello to autumn.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The last days of summer

Summer is winding down.  I know this because I'm looking for excuses to celebrate (and cook & eat) the blessed heirloom tomato and justify drinking the last few bottles of Unti rose that's in my stash.
I had a rare day with nothing to do except go to Grady's soccer game.  Steve was occupied for the entire day surfing & playing golf in the Tequila Classic.  Yes, it's exactly as it sounds - a day of surf, golfing & tequila.  I love it when he gets out and has a little fun.  He deserves it.

Grady and I hit the library and stumbled onto (and into) a book sale.  As you can see above, I couldn't leave without a bag full of books.  I felt like I scratched a lotto ticket.  And in case you're wondering :: Yes, I needed four copies of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

We came home and fell into a lazy routine of reading, watching documentaries, slowly doing a few chores, reading again, napping and finally cooking some comfort food.  And reading a little more.  It was the loveliest kind of day.
We've all been doing a bit of purging and rearranging around the house.  G decided it was about time to organize his feather collection and declare which feathers belonged to raptors & which feathers belonged to the growing owl population behind our home.  He tested by flapping the feathers and making his determination based on the sound the feather made.  He amuses me so.
I turned the heater on this week for the first time.  Just for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off in the house.  I broke out the flannel sheets and G moved to the top bunk, which is his fall/winter move - only to return to the bottom bunk come spring.  
Steve has been making the most delicious sautéed padrone peppers.  He moved his operation outside to the BBQ at my recommendation, as they splatter little droplets of grease high and far in the kitchen.  They are divine.  Olive oil + salt + pepper.  Serve warm.
Our days have been full of parties, open houses, soccer practices and school meetings.  My errand list keeps getting longer, as we stock up on kitchen staples for the coming months and prepare for canning a little bit of this season's bounty.
Home projects are taking priority around here and SL has been ticking things off of his to-do list.  He spackled, sanded & painted our kitchen walls - a project that has been on the list for years.  It feels so nice to have this project done.  Next up?  SL is going to build shelves above our newly acquired mid-century credenza.  More photos on that project as it unfolds.
The growth chart on the inside of Grady's doorjamb is one of my favorite parts of our home.  He's fast approaching 9-1/2 years.  I just love his play on words/numbers (above, left).  I think 8 did rage, but he has so much more to look forward to.
Our kitchen saw a lot of apple action this week (I know tomatoes are pictured above, but really the apples were the star of the show this week).  I made blackberry-apple fruit leather and applesauce (with a few blackberries thrown in for color).  Steve made fresh pear and apple juice on his Jack LaLanne Power Juicer.  That machine is so big and bulky, but it did the job just right.  I'm on a little bit of an apple burnout right now, but we still have so many apples to pluck from our trees.  We'll have to use the free child labor we currently have at our disposal.
I've been slowly purging drawers, shelves and file folders.  Funny how much a life can collect over the summer months.  I've been busy list-making and trying to utilize funky little hotel shampoo bottles and soaps.  My spice cabinet is in need of an intervention, as well as my growing pile of magazines.  All in good time.  Autumn is just the time for this kind of purging.

The season officially changes tomorrow night and I decided a new hair color & brand-spanking new lipstick was just what this girl needed to celebrate the shift.  The bleach pictured above?  That's an inside joke for my man.  If anyone in West Sonoma County found out I dyed my hair AND used bleach...I think I'd be kicked out.  Shhh.

Autumn.  I'm ready for you.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Welcome, Autumn

Fennel fronds going to seed

The weather has shifted here and crisp winds blew through our valley over the weekend.  Autumn is upon us.  The roadsides are bursting with explosions of yellow fennel fronds and it is one of my most favorite sights to see on my way to and from Sebastopol.
Picture Day 2012
Soccer season is in full swing and Grady helped secure the team sponsorship by writing a heartfelt letter to the owner of Mombo's Pizza, Fred Poulos.  The owner could hardly refuse, as it was so sweet, pointed and shared his passion for pizza, art & playing soccer.  The team is undefeated as of today's date and flying high on their winning streak.  A very different season than the boys had last year.
Books & Blackberries
I'm settling into new routines and just love this time of year.  I feel the urgency to pick blackberries before they shrivel up on their thorny vines.  I have plans of canning as much blackberry jam as I can this year and will employ the boy to help me.

This time of year feels similar to when January 1st hits.  It feels optimistic and wide open, full of possibilities.  School has started, summer is fading and a new rhythm must be created.  This time of year feels hopeful and it is a time to put the garden to rest (what little there is of it), old projects must be completed or discarded and new lists created for the coming months.  I love this feeling.
The new flock & trap door
My good friend and chicken farmer, Anna, gifted us with a new flock of ladies.  They are so cute and all we had to do was fix their trap door and promise to be vigilant about locking them up each night.  I have promised to do so and hope they have long and lovely lives here on Johns Street.
September book club & thunderstorm
Thick raindrops dotted our deck last week and left us with a rather amazing rainbow later that evening. Rain on September 5th was certainly an unusual occurrence, but a welcome surprise.
4th Grader
My little fourth grader has been a bundle of emotions since just before school started.  He has been easily moved to tears and been publicly affectionate with me (which was never the case before).  He has been kissing me on the cheek and willingly holding my hand.  I'm going to soak this up while I can, as I have a feeling it is going to come and go quickly.
Soccer Game at Apple Blossom & Bird Book
Watching our family unfold and settle into the season brings great joy to me.  New dinner routines, work schedules and discussions about our changing days leave me completely filled up.  Our entire family helps put dinner on the table, cleans up afterwards and settles into our nightly rituals of books, teeth brushing & the occasional after dinner drink.  Our home is peaceful this time of year, with little entertaining and lots of family connection.
Homemade thank you note postcards
Art has taken a backseat, for now, as homework and literature take up a lot of our spare time.  G will resume his private art lessons later this month and he's looking forward to working with Ms. Warren, once again.
I recently shared with a friend that taking pictures help me to notice the world around me.  It helps me to pause, notice, reflect, capture and document my life, our life.   A decade or more ago, I'm not sure I would have paused long enough to appreciate the turkey clan migrating towards my home.  I love that I live in a place that inspires me to stop and pay attention to the natural world around me, around us.
My goddaughters' grandmother recently passed away and they released dozens of butterflies in her honor.  It was absolutely magical and beautiful.  One butterfly remained and the girls thought for sure it was their Nana Maria.  I like to think it was, too.
I've thought a lot about my life this week.  Losing loved ones makes one reflect on those types of things.  I feel grateful to have this life, in this place, that I love so much.  I have so much more intention than I ever used to have.  Instead of life just happening to me, I now go out and seek causes that are important to me.  I volunteer and help where I'm needed.  I help friends out when they call upon me.  I try to be more patient and kind to my family.  This is quite a journey, this life.  So much more is revealed to me as I travel through it with eyes wide open.  And while it's not perfect, it's so satisfying to know that if you carve out an existence and keep it simple that you will be rewarded.
I picked Grady up from the bus on Friday and he leaped off the bus and ran towards me with his arms wide open, hugging me in front of his friends, schoolmates and trusty bus driver.

He didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
Then he walked up the hill with his two buddies towards home.
His home.
My home.
Our home.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

4th Grade & My birthday weekend

First day of 4th Grade at Tomales Elementary
Grady started 4th grade today and moved up to the middle school campus.  He was quite nervous and he let us walk him to class.  The boys were all gathered together playing on the play structure, while every single girl in his glass was in a group chatting & walking together.  Let the separation of the sexes begin.

He was a bit disappointed to learn that Mr. Risley had moved to Bodega Bay Elementary School and wouldn't be his teacher this year.  However, his third grade teacher, Mr. Demsher, moved up to the middle school and it would be his second year teaching G's class.  All is well.

My mom sent a box of goodies to commemorate the beginning of the school year.  New shoes, cool shirts and shorts and a sweet grandmotherly note.  He loves receiving mail from his Gigi.
Sweets & my birthday bracelet from the guys
My birthday weekend was full of sweets & sweet people.  A birthday brunch at Suzann's house with a few of the gals kicked things off and we had a low key BBQ on the eve of my birthday with Scott & Jill.

As I put together this post, I recognize that I rarely feature my handsome husband.  He's not one for a posed picture, but I do think he needs to show up in this space more often!  He made me coffee and a double batch of waffles on my birthday.  What a guy.
We offered to watch Johnnie, the cutest dog in the world, on my birthday.  This was more of a present for Grady, but oh how I loved watching them together.  Johnnie is a love and Grady read to him for hours, quickly going through his dog book collection.  I found both of them napping on the living room floor and had to snap a quick picture.

After we delivered Johnnie back home, we went up to Jenner to watch the USC vs. Hawaii game with the Rangel family.  Steph served courses of delicious football food, the kids had a water fight, we sipped champagne & watched the movie Grease.  Sophia prepared a lovely fresh fruit galette for dessert to round out the most perfect birthday I've ever had.  I say this every year and I mean it.
On Sunday of Labor Day weekend, I decided to take G to the Legion of Honor in San Francisco to catch the Man Ray - Lee Miller show.  It was mostly photography, but he found a few things that caught his fancy.
We enjoyed perusing the permanent collections at The Legion and the painting above was G's favorite of the day.  He's not a fan of the title of the piece, but loved the painting.  Dead animals.  Hmm.  Should I be concerned?
He gasped aloud when he entered Rodin's sculpture rooms.  His favorite sculpture was the severed head of John the Baptist (again, should I worry?) and The Mighty Hand.  He appreciated the sculptures, but said he would never want to make sculptures.  We'll see.
My little artist made me the above drawing as my birthday present.  I'm always asking him to draw me flowers, but he usually talks me into wanting a bird instead (this is his way of drawing what he wants and that's okay with me).  I was moved to tears by this drawing.  He said he knew I loved flowers, the color orange and circles - so that was his inspiration.  He called it "The Pot".

The boy is up to 262 books read for the year.  Tintin was his passion this weekend.
The Thinker by Rodin & Little 'Ole Me (The Forgetter)
I had a very mellow start to my 42nd year.  I was able to spend time with those who mean so much to me, enjoy a new museum, see my goddaughters in their USC get-ups, laugh a lot and really soak up the goodness that surrounds me.  It's not lost on me how very lucky I am to have the family, friends and life that I have.

I feel grateful and loved.  I can't wait to see what this year brings.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

42 :: My List of Loves Right Now

42 trips around the sun
  1. That first cup of coffee in the morning.
  2. Reading a good book on the chaise lounge chair on my front deck.
  3. Home grown tomatoes.
  4. Thrifting.
  5. Watching G create art.
  6. Playing Scrabble with the guys.
  7. Friday Night Lights series on Netflix.
  8. Memoirs.
  9. Making smoothies.
  10. My community of friends.
  11. My funky little home.
  12. The library.  Oh, how I love a good library.
  13. Standing at my kitchen island and creating meals for my family.
  14. Making jam.
  15. Cataloging books for Grady's 1,000 book challenge for 2012.
  16. Found feathers.
  17. A good, dry martini.
  18. Owning a good pair of jeans & a black tank top (aka - my uniform).
  19. Roadside flower cutting.
  20. Grocery shopping day.
  21. My witty, handsome husband.
  22. Girlfriends.
  23. The beach at low tide in the winter time.
  24. Book club.
  25. G's pink art studio.
  26. Beautiful card stock and pretty paper.
  27. Paint sample strips.
  28. Fresh eggs.
  29. Big Sur.
  30. My son's love of dogs.  It's infectious.
  31. My sister's dry humor.
  32. How much my mom loves my son.
  33. Salted caramel.
  34. Setting a beautiful table.
  35. Gathering around the dining table for dinner each night.
  36. Freshly laundered sheets on my bed.
  37. Documenting our life with photos & words here.
  38. The printed word.
  39. My goddaughters & sweet nieces.
  40. The power of having my own family.
  41. The eve of almost any holiday or celebration (more than the holiday or celebration!).
  42. Making lists.

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