M.I.A. Update

summer concert series
Valencia Town Center

Just wanted to alert everyone as to the reason of my apparent lack of posts recently! What can I say? This summer has just been too much fun! We recently returned from a spontaneous week-long trip to SoCal to visit my sister and brother-in-law. And in the few days that we've been back, I've been caught up in an exciting project which I am not at liberty to divulge at the moment. I did plan to post more pictures from our trip, but I'm not quite sure when I'll get around to doing that. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are. When I can, I'll be trolling around blogland to check!

Camp Survival

We recently returned from my third camping trip ever (after swearing never to camp again after my second trip). And yes, I lived to tell the tale, even despite ominous mountain lion warnings! Although, to be honest with you, mountain lions were the least of my concerns. Actually, it wasn't so bad. It did help that my mom was staying at a nearby inn where I could escape for hot showers! This was Andre's second camping trip, and he loved it as much as he did the first time. This is part of the reason I hesitantly agreed to go once again. Camping is a little boy's dream it seems. They can play all day and get as dirty as possible! (Grimacing)

I must say that our camping site was at an exceptionally lovely location. The Mendocino Coast has a rustic, Pacific Northwestern beauty to it. It is a combination of rugged coastline and thickly forested pines, redwoods and cypresses dotted by older clapboard homes in quaint seaside villages. I really did enjoy the views and scenery. They were spectacular! So, the question remains, would I do it again? I guess one should never say never...

an actual threat

"Have tunes, will camp."

"Mama, what is that?"

Happy Campers!

Sam & Bonnie

Charis with my mom

Cora & Tati pretending to be Naomis

the lovely Da Costa kids & my little rascal

Mason & daddy

"Hmm, wonder what that could be?"

Ty the trailblazer

Sandy Sam

at the tide pools

A Great Escape

This is the inn my mom stayed at while we roughed it at camp. Her room faced the ocean and had its own private porch complete with two rocking chairs from whence to enjoy the view. There was much bubble-blowing to be had on this porch by both grandma and grandson.

bubble-blowing at sunset

Andre's Latest Antics

In the last few days I've been greeted by an amusing sight in some of the most unexpected locations around the house....pirates who drive civil service vehicles! I thought I should take a picture of this phenomenon before it suddenly stops.

It's Blogger Tag...I'm It!

My friends, Haar and Myra, tagged me to reveal 6 unremarkable quirks about myself. So, here they go...

My Six Unremarkable Quirks...

1. I have a love affair with coats! Some girls collect shoes or purses--I love coats, especially trenches or anything wool. So unpractical for California!

2. I also collect stationery. I buy nice paper products and cards for no particular reason, just because I find them to be pretty. Sometimes I do end up using them. Other times they stay in my secretary desk...just in case.

3. I have a thing for maps. Perhaps it has to do with my love of travel. I enjoy studying the locations of places and am handy on a trip as I will study a map of where we're traveling in order to be as familiar as one can possibly be in a strange place.

4. I cannot go to bed unless I've made sure that every door is locked and every window tightly shut.

5. I have an unhealthy fear of critters that hop--frogs, grasshoppers, you name it! They freak me out!

6. I have a secret (well, not anymore) dread of dying with my legs and underarms unshaved and having dirty underwear on. Bizarre, I know, but still....

OK...the following people consider yourself tagged: Marilen, Michelle, Nelson, Mara, Jeanette, and Elaine!

Here are the rules:

Link the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules in your blog.
Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
Tag six bloggers by linking them. (They shall be "it")
Have fun and Happy Tagging!

Fourth of July Highlights

Well, the beach bonfire bonanza was a blast! Carmel was gorgeous, of course, despite being on the cooler side. The beach was much more popular than I thought it would be, but it was really quite amazing to see all of the bonfires that dotted the shore at night! I was also slightly taken aback by how sophisticated some of these beach-goers were. Some groups (like our neighbors) had tiki torches surrounding their site. Others were decked out in full Stars & Stripes glory of red, white and blue! Many of the other groups had their food expertly laid out on long folding tables. Very smart! I realized that after getting some sand in my potato salad.

All in all, it was such a fun and memorable time. Our neighbors were very nice, and the children from the tiki torch group even ended up joining ours to play! When Leilani began playing her guitar and singing praise songs, an older gentleman from the patriotic Stars & Stripes camp came over to listen to the music and expressed his enjoyment of it. In the evening when the fireworks began to go off in Monterey, we could hear them distinctly, although we could not see them due to the thick cloud cover that had rolled in. Luckily, Jimmy and Elaine had thoughtfully bought some glow sticks of various colors to hand out to all the kids. There were even enough for all of the neighbors' kids. In a stroke of brilliance, Jimmy came up with a game that both the kids and adults enjoyed. What he did was gather all the glow sticks together and launched them into the air as high as he could throw them. When the glow stick fell down, they looked like simulated fireworks! The children loved running and finding the glow sticks in the dark, and the adults had their own personal fireworks display. Later on, after chasing Onyx (their dog) who had gotten loose, Eugene said that a group a couple of hundred feet away told him that they enjoyed the glow sticks display as well!

So anyway, here are just a few of the many photos that were taken to highlight our Fourth of July.

This lady loves the beach!

Fun, fun, fun!

the official dog walker of the day

beach buddies?

braving the waves
(This photo makes me think of several shows and movies--Roswell, The Right
Stuff, The Seven Samurai, etc.)

the dauntless crew of wave dodgers

"That wave almost got me!"

baby's first sand castle

beach happy

"Cool Mamas"
(If it had been hot that day, I would have said Hot Mamas!)

beach(ball) beauties

fun and games

bump that ball!

fire watch

beach bums

grubbin'

lounging

strumming

parrying
("The force is strong with this one.")

enjoying

Happy Independence Day!

We're hitting the beach for some fun in the sun and a bona fide bonfire! Everybody have a safe Fourth! Enjoy the fireworks for us....and remember to take a moment to fully appreciate the freedom our country enjoys.

This Time Last Year

Here is another "blast from the past" photo. This is one of the exchange students we hosted for the month of July last year. Meryl (left) is from France and Line (pronounced Lina) is from Denmark. They were 14 and 15 years old, respectively, at the time of this photo. It was a very busy and interesting experience hosting these two teenage girls. I don't think we were fully prepared for it! It was a lot harder than we thought it would be, but fun, too. I think what Billy and I found to be most surprising was how, despite some cultural differences, teenagers are pretty much the same all over the world! And they all listen to American music!

Meryl was quite shy at first, but once she got comfortable, she was quite a talker and spitfire! Line was very bright and mature for her 15 years. We were very impressed with her knowledge and self-confidence. Line and Meryl, we miss you and hope you are happy and well.