Valley Ford Pie Auction 2014

The Third Annual Valley Ford Pie Auction was a raging success!  The Valley Ford Young Farmers' Association, along with many community volunteers, helped to raise thousands of dollars for the building improvement fund for the historic Valley Ford Schoolhouse (where the auction and many other fundraisers takes place over the year).

Grady made a black cherry pie that sold for $200.  He was surprised and so very proud.

This event kicked off our Thanksgiving weekend and really set the mood for good food, drink + friends.

Ahead of the game

I seem to be ahead of the game this holiday season.  I've been making realistic lists and ticking things off said list like a boss.  I've even taken the time to use my hand-carved stamps to decorate said lists because I just like looking at a pretty list way more than a blank, boring list. Yes, lists make me happy and keep me on track and I've needed a guide to help me get to the finish line before we jump in the car and head to Southern California for the holidays.

The last week was all about getting our packages out to loved ones with enough time to spare so that they arrive before xmas.  And by Tuesday, I was done.

This year family members and very close friends will receive the hand-letterpressed poem that Grady had published this summer over at mamalode.com, along with a family photo and a print of Grady's painting, Invisible World, that will be published in the coming spring.

A calm has settled over our home this season and we're working really hard on keeping the crazy from entering our little abode.  So far, it's worked - but we have had to remind ourselves to check in with each other, look at the calendar and discuss whether or not we just want to fill it up or leave it blank.  And I have to say, it's definitely like stretching a new muscle.  My first inclination is to add it to our calendar, but seeing a stretch of days with nothing on them except work and Grady's basketball practices has been a nice, welcome change.

Steve and Grady went down to San Francisco to see the Hockney exhibit at the de Young Museum and, just like I thought, they were amazed by the body of work of this prolific artist.  We had previously watched a Hockney documentary and thumbed through every page of the exhibit coffee table book and picked our favorites.  G was impressed with the Yosemite works that were produced by using the Brushes Application on the iPad.  Steve loved the massive video installations.  I'm so glad they had this father and son outing and enjoyed hearing their take on this masterful artist.

Grady decided to get all of his hair cut off after his basketball last weekend.  We found a wonderful stylist located next to one of my favorite thrift stores.  Kismit, I tell you.  He looks so different!  He's in love with himself and can't stop looking in the mirror or touching his newly chopped locks.

The annual dog biscuit making happened and I went ahead and doubled the recipe and set about churning them out for our canine friends.

Our evenings have been filled with cribbage matches between the guys, while I clean up the remains of dinner and the day.  This bonding over cards has been sweet to witness.  There is a lot of math happening but, more importantly, the gentle ribbing and smack-talking that accompanies this nightly match makes me smile as I shuffle around the house and overhear bits and pieces of their father-son banter.  Grady finally beat his father this week for the first time.  A big, big event around here.

The only social obligation we had on the calendar last weekend was the annual Jenner Xmas party.  We have been attending this social event since Grady was two years old and we were deemed honorary Jennerites from our dear friend, Cheryl.  She pours her heart into this little event and finds delight in the children sitting on Santa's lap, singing carols and having them swirl all around here during this small-town soiree.

I asked Steve to bring his tripod and snap a group photo for all of us.  Bert is acting like a grizzly bear and Isabella is channeling her inner-zombie, but I love it.  It's exactly what I wanted and needed to remember this beautiful day, surrounded by our goddaughters and our favorite Jenner friends.

We all talked about mixing it up next year and skipping the Jenner Community party, but we all agreed we wanted more time with just the nine of us.  Cold bubbly in front of the tree and the children reading my favorite holiday book The Twelve Days of Christmas [Correspondence] by John Julius Norwich.

What a beautiful way to end this quiet, intentional week.

Shifting

As the season is shifting here, so is our little boy.  He's been trying lots of new things on for size, hanging out in new social circles and learning about new aspects of art, religion and politics.

New website
Grady, age 10 vs. Grady, age 8 painted by Kai Samuels-Davis

Last week I shared that one of Grady's paintings, Invisible World (pictured above left), was selected to be in a local art and literary publication.  He had to prepare an under 30 word artist statement and Steve created a simple website www.gradyhecht.com where he could display some of his artwork.  It's a work in progress, but he thinks it's very cool to have his own domain name.

We attended our first bar mitzvah!  What an amazing family learning experience.  The mid-day religious ceremony was a bit long (2 hours), but we followed along in the prayer books and really loved  all of the music and family involvement.  It was poignant and really resonated with all of us that 13 is indeed a turning point in a young person's life.  I kept calculating in my head how much longer we had with Grady before he turned 13 and readied himself to be more accountable and head down that road to becoming a man.

G hung out near the back of the dance floor for the first part of the night
He slowly inched towards to kids and eventually busted out his dance moves!

The after party was over-the-top, complete with a photo booth, taco bar, DJ, cakes, party favors and a full-blown candy bar.  Grady tentatively watched from the sidelines, as he only knew a few of the kids. The kids traveled in packs around the venue - all girls grouped together and all boys huddled up.  The DJ did a great job of trying to get the kids to interact with games, pop music and then pulling in the adults for added bodies on the dance floor.

Steve and I kept marveling from the back of the room as we watched our little guy slowly infiltrating the herds of boys and girls and finally busting out his dance moves when his favorite song, Thrift Shop, came on over the loud speakers.  He was beaming and so were we.

We're winding down the third 6-week session of the chess club at G's school.  This club has been maxed out every time we've offered it and the kids are an absolute delight to work with.  Watching their slow evolution and game strategy develop has been a real treat for me.

I'm also super excited to help do some ground work on creating a free after school art club on campus, along with another PTA mom.  We're in the initial stages of researching costs, writing letters to local politicians for monetary backing, insurance and working with this year's new art teacher to make it happen.  I'm beyond thrilled and really happy to focus my volunteer efforts on something that is so near and dear to my heart.  Crossing my fingers it all works out!

A few week's back, Grady's teacher gave them a homework assignment to write a persuasive essay about why they shouldn't have to do homework.  If any of the students persuaded the teacher, they wouldn't have to do homework for a week.  I thought this was an awesome assignment.

It also prepared the students for this week's 5th Grade Class Representative election for Student Council.  The assignment was to write a speech and deliver same in front of the class.  I've posted a little video of Grady's speech.

My favorite part of his speech?  The ending.

Please vote for me.  I like pie.

He won.

I like to think that our small town surroundings helped influence his speech.

I also hope it's a sign that we're about to win a lot of pies at this year's Valley Ford Pie Auction.

See, then we all win.

Jog-a-thon + Harvest Cup + Tomales Farm & Flea

Columbus Day weekend was a doozy.  

Every year the annual school jog-a-thon, Wesco Soccer Harvest Cup Tournament and the Tomales Farm & Flea Market just so happen to take place on the same weekend.  All three events!  This year, we participated in all of them.  

Holy moly.

5th Grade Class at Jog-a-thon
Grady levitating on lap 17
G's outfit of choice for this year's school photo

The school only does one major fundraiser for the year and it's the jog-a-thon.  Totally positive event wherein the kids solicit family and friends to sponsor them per lap run.  Last year, G ran a total of 20.  This year, he ran 30 laps in 45 minutes, earning about $300 towards his 5th grade class fund.  I love the fact that he made the calls and put a speech together to pitch to his would-be donors.  We have the kindest friends and family.

I volunteered and worked most of the afternoon tabulating lap sheets and cheering on the kids.  Steve even showed up to cheer the boy on in his final laps, helping G gather up his second wind.  

Shadows at Harvest Cup 2013

Harvest Cup weekend is a two-day event wherein the boys play approximately four matches (spread out throughout the day based on rankings).  While Grady's team ended up in 1st place for the regular season, they finished the tournament in 3rd place.  It was a lot of soccer for the kids, as well as the coaches and parents.  The Shadows lost their first game and tied their second on Saturday and left a little deflated, despite the bright blue hair they were all sporting.

Sunday showed that they were well rested and hungry to get out there, play hard and win.  And that's exactly what they did and that enabled them to bring home a 3rd place ribbon from the tournament.

Vying for best dressed at the soccer awards dinner

The awards ceremony was held a few days ago and the coach encouraged all of the boys to dress up in their finest.  They all looked so handsome in their dress clothes.  G put together this awesome ensemble and was selected by the coach as a finalist for best (or most uniquely) dressed.  

I absolutely love soccer season.  The games are fast-paced, the boys are getting great exercise and gaining knowledge at every practice and game.  This year's coach was a dream coach and taught them field positioning, how to lose gracefully and a lot of life lessons on and off the field.  He really inspired the team and helped me to realize it really isn't about winning or losing, but how you play the game and conduct yourself.  It was a needed reminder for all of us.

Tomales Farm & Flea with Calvin
Star Wars Origami

Sunday morning found me up and out early, early.  I loaded the car and brought G along to help set up his little art booth.  He peddled art prints, art t-shirts and handmade key chains.  I sold off some housewares that have been lingering for years in the garage.  G had to leave mid-morning to get to the remainder of his games with his dad and I held down the fort until the flea market ended.  We sold about half of our goods and G earned a little mad money.

Foggy mornings on our property w/ art studio + henhouse
New painting for upcoming art show (with live honeybee landing on it for inspection)

After the weekend, we needed a serious rest and quickly settled into nesting at home and working on a few projects.  The garden got spruced up, the house got a touch up paint job and I set about making sure our fridge was stocked so that we could cook at home this week.

Oak tree
Apple Harvest
Foxy farm hand husband

Steve harvested the last of our apples from a few of the trees in the lower orchard.  They are the most delicious apples and we have no clue what kind they are.  They are crisp and sweet, almost like a Honey Crisp.  

Grady is really in love with himself lately.  He looks in a mirror every chance he gets and is obsessed with looking cool.  He made a cool-o-meter this week and let his father know that he didn't even measure on the scale.  Ouch.  Poor Steve.

I started a new fitness program challenge with a bunch of local gals.  I've been journaling my food intake, eating at least six servings of fruits and vegetables a day, drinking lots of water, cutting down on my alcohol intake and I even went to a pilates class at the gym.  I feel good, but it's only week one.  I lose stamina and interest at about week three, so I'm going to be aware of that and try to stay the course.

Invisible World by Grady Salas Hecht
Watercolor + pencil on watercolor paper
2011

The last good news of the week was that one of Grady's paintings was selected to be published in the Spring 2014 West Marin Review.  Here was the kind note they sent him:

Dear Grady,

On behalf of West Marin Review, it is a great pleasure to let you know that your art work, “Invisible World” (Submission #5A 082) has been selected for inclusion in the upcoming Volume 5. This edition will be released in Spring 2014. 

Your art was selected from over 300 art submissions that we received from artists across the country. All submissions were arresting and unique, which made for a challenging review and selection process.

Your artwork exhibited the attributes of original eye and perspective, and an ability to affect the panel reviewers in a meaningful way. We are very pleased to feature your work in the upcoming Volume 5—the edition promises to be a compelling read and visually rich. 

West Marin Review

His current private art teacher encouraged him to submit his work to the West Marin Review after he received the crushing news that his Fisherman's Festival art submission was rejected.  We could not be more proud of our little artist.  We are sending off all of the copyright agreements today, as well as a good scan of the image and the artist's bio.  Here is what Grady had to say about himself:

Grady Salas Hecht is a 5th grader at Tomales Elementary School.  He is interested in making art, observing nature, reading and sports.  He lives in Valley Ford.

He should have added that he really likes looking in the mirror, taking selfies on his mom's phone, collecting dead flies, taking 30 minute showers, pancakes and giving his dad a hard time.

Art Sale + Birthday Party!

Rooster hair in full effect

Steve went down to Southern California to visit his father and grandmother (who turned 91!) for a few days.  It was nice to spend a string of days with just Grady.  We found our rhythm with work, school and meals.  He read a lot, I cooked favorite foods and we devised a plan to sell his art prints.

Art Sale Compromise @ Gourmet au Bay

He received word earlier in the month that he was not accepted as an artist for the Local Art Tent at our annual Fisherman's Festival in Bodega Bay.  He was a little crestfallen and I was just hurt for him.  After a few days went by, we came up with a plan to sell four of his art prints at Gourmet au Bay (our former business).  He titled and signed all of his prints, helped create the email flyer above and we sent it out to dozens of our closest community friends and neighbors.  We were making lemonade out of the lemons we received.

Proud artist + his watercolor prints

His art was well received and he sold about 32 prints!  He received email pre-orders and on-the-spot purchases at $10 a print.  He was beaming and interacted with every customer in such a sweet way.  They asked about his process, what inspired him and which was his favorite and/or best-selling print.  His best friend was there to help him and when the clock hit 6 o'clock on the dot, they were ready to get out of there and get home to a video game marathon, homemade pizza & root beer floats + a sleepover.  What a full and fantastic day for our little artist.

10th birthday party extravaganza

The next day was the big 18+ kid birthday soccer party at Sports City, our local indoor soccer facility.  Almost everyone came that he invited, plus a few surprise guests!  It was the best kind of party.  The kids ran around and got good and exhausted.  They recharged with fruit, PB&J sandwiches & chocolate milk and topped it all off with the most delicious cupcakes from Sift Cupcakery.

This was the first real birthday party we've had for him, as all the others were mostly our friends and his god-sisters.  This was an all out bash with friends from all the different aspects of his life (preschool, soccer, his current 4th grade class + special friends from neighboring communities).  

You could tell it was a lot for him to take in, but he did it gracefully and enjoyed every second of it.   The big day is actually next week, but this boy is taking cues from his mom and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out his birthday for a few weeks.  I wonder where he got that idea from? 

The effects of chocolate cream pie on G, Viv + Scott

This week was full of lots of cake, shenanigans with the neighbors & seeing how much fun we could have and not have a meltdown (any of us!).  It was a success in every way.

EArth Day 2013

We celebrated earth day by heading down the road to Bloomfield Farms and harvesting lettuce for the week.  They had a sweet craft table set up to honor the honey bee and G quickly sat down and got to work.  He looked so big in the little vintage school chairs.  He also planted a few complimentary kale plants to bring home and plant in our garden.  I do hope they survive...

Spring images at the Ponderosa

Flowers are blooming.

The grass in the fields are almost as tall as I am.

The guys scouted a location in the back pasture for their newly finished owl box.

I've been seeking comfort in food magazines & cookbooks, as the days draw closer to Fish Fest and my volunteer chairperson duties kick in.  I've been logging in several hours on the computer and then need a quick break on the deck to read & recharge.  It's just the fix I need to keep me sane.

Water Wars!

The father-son water wars have commenced for 2013.  G received a brand new small water gun pistol and doesn't quite connect the dots that giving his dad the older (read larger) one is really setting him up for failure.

He doesn't care.
He's living up the last days of his 9th year.
He's soaking up the water, the fun, the presents, the friendships, the adoration of our friends, the books & sweet treats.

Good-bye, nine.  What a year.
Can't wait to see what happens next for this amazing little fellow.

Calm before the Fish Fest Storm

I've been getting a little melancholy thinking about my boy turning 10 later this month.  I've been soaking up all the fun I can and indulging him at every turn - evidenced by the above silly photos.  I read a great blog post about another mama who has a boy turning double digits here.  She took the words right out of my mouth.

My little man has been all about origami lately.  He's made hundreds of small people and my favorite, clearly, is the three origami that feature our little family (above).  Don't you just love my hair helmet?

Sadness has fallen over our household, as Grady approaches the final chapters in the Harry Potters series - The Deathly Hollows, Book #7.  He's savoring the final chapters and distracted himself by a trip to the library to read to dogs & gather easy to read graphic novels.  He doesn't want it to end and just hit a really sad chapter in the book.  He started reading this series on the first day of summer after finishing second grade.  He was so eager and the he's matured and grown up with Harry.  It will be a bittersweet ending, I'm sure.

Last November, I "won" a U-pick membership to Bloomfield Farms during the infamous Valley Ford Pie Auction.  This weekend was their inaugural U-pick party on the farm.  The winds were high, but I had two little boys who I could put to work helping me pick.  We had the best time and the boys laughed, ran, gave wagon rides to each other and learned what elephant kale & spring garlic looks like.  We came home with a bucket full of greens and inspiration to cook all of it during the coming week.

On a different note, I finally figured out why I hate spring.  I hate all of the weeds and tall grasses that overtake our property after the March rains.  It's overwhelming, really.  I put a tiny dent in the weeds in the fire pit area, there is so much more to conquer.  It feels like its a never ending project.

The guys have been busy building an owl box.  It's pretty big and they just need to fill it with shavings and find a location to mount it behind our house.  I just love how they have been working on building projects together this year and solidified their father-son bonds.

We've been taking it slow around here this week with reading, painting, sleeping in and working on small house projects.  The 40th Annual Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival is just around the corner at the end of this month and I have the task of organizing over 500 volunteers!  Yes, 500.  It all comes down to the wire in the final days before the event and I liken it to a jigsaw puzzle, assigning jobs to volunteers and filling in the gaps.  Every year around this time I vow to take a step back next year.  I'm feeling that way right this very moment but must push through and get to the imaginary finish line.

It's almost here.

March :: Out Like A Lamb? Never.

Awesome sign painted by yours truly for the ceremony

Last week we attended the Tomales Elementary School's Honor Roll Ceremony.  G received the highest honor, Principal's List, for his straight A's and 4.0 GPA and he was beaming and so proud of himself.  He was one of two in his class to receive this honor and takes it quite seriously.  This is his second time achieving same this year and he's going for three next trimester.  

Books + Earless Bunny

We hit the mobile library last week and G quickly filled our book bag with graphic novels, a few movies and art books suggested by our amazing librarian.  I love when we leave the mobile library.  G can't wait to get in the car and start digging through his overflowing bag of books.  He opens a book and immediately is transported.  Once we arrive home (about 10 minutes later), he usually stays in the car, absorbed in the make-believe world he's reading about and emerges slowly from the vehicle, walking towards the house with his eyes firmly planted on the pages of a book.  I love library day.

My muses + birdie watercolors

These gals have been my painting inspiration lately.  They've been out roaming the lush, green hills surrounding our house.  They are quite the adventurers.

Me + Owl-loving Boy + Signs of Spring

After last week's blow-up with Grady and re-strategizing my parenting techniques with Steve, I worked on spending more time with my boy and really listening to him.  Sometimes I think just because I'm the parent that I'm right.  I'm correcting or rolling over his sentences with my words of wisdom and not taking the time to hear him out.  I've been snappy with him and loud with my responses for effect, too.  It's funny what you learn when you just shut up and listen to your kid.  He has a lot to say and I'm working on listening to what he has to teach me.

This was a week full of celebrations and art-making.

My little sister turned 39 yesterday and we sent her a care package last week and a special-ordered purse with a picture of her three kids on it from Snaptotes.  I hope she loves it!

Handmade Goodness by GSH

We also carved new stamps for our stationary endeavors.  G wanted to hand-carve his logo which consists of his initials and flames shooting out of the stop and bottom of the "S".  He did a fine job and even carved a really cool skull stamp.

We hosted a friend for lunch to celebrate her birthday (belated at this point) and the date ended up landing on the five year anniversary of her son's death.  G drew her a mourning dove and made fish tacos, rice and Grady's guacamole.  It was delicious and I think she really appreciated spending time with my boy on this hard, hard day.

We were honored and happy to attend the 75th birthday celebration of local birding legend, Don Toms.    This celebration also marked his accomplishment of seeing over 50% of the world's bird species (he reached this amazing milestone two years ago).

Mr. Toms has been kind enough to share his love of birding with Grady and they have gone on two summer birding expeditions in 2011 and 2012.   Their avian bond is really sweet and despite their 65 year age difference, they like hanging out together.

Best Friends 4th Grade CYO Awards Ceremony

Last week was also the CYO basketball award ceremony.  G's team ended up being the 4th grade  league champions and took home the coveted champion t-shirt and a trophy.  Calvin, his best friend, dressed up for the occasion and looked really cute in his all black suit.

I logged 11.5 miles last week on Middle Road Loop (just down the hill from my house).  I've been following a training schedule for a 5K, even though I'm not registered for any such thing.

I'm kind of a rule-follower-list-maker-goal-setting kind of gal and I figured I'd have more success on getting myself moving and exercising if I had a written chart telling me what to do.  So far, so good.

The sage is waking up from its winter slumber
My stack of "on-deck" reading

I've been trying to dive into my bedside stack of books and get caught up on my reading lately.  My stack is a bit schizophrenic with fiction, gardening and cookbooks, magazines, memoirs and a little creative self-help.  It definitely reflects what's on my mind right now and what I'm interested in at this very moment.

G spent a lot of time in his studio on Friday night and Saturday during the day.  He was inspired by the book Darth Vader & Son by Jeffrey Brown.  He drew almost all of the characters on this one sheet of paper and did a really good job.  He didn't trace but, rather, copied by looking at the images and drawing them on his own.  I'm constantly amazed by his artistic talent and admire the way he just dives in and starts a project.

A friend asked him this weekend was kind of medium was his favorite and he answered sketching.  This was news to me, as I thought watercolors were his current medium de jour.  Changing.  Always evolving.

And last, but not least, the guys attended the 50th anniversary of "The Birds" screening at the Bodega Bay Grange, along with Scott and Jill.  One of Steve's clients is an expert on Alfred Hitchcock and spoke prior to the film viewing.  There was also this really fun photo booth that Grady's art teacher put together.

I love where we live.

Crazy birds and all.  Feel free to replace the word birds with people, farmers, tourists, farm animals, ranch hands, neighbors, community members...