Spring Bliss & Summer Fun

So many pictures, so little time!  I'm an avid photographer, so I tend to take more than my fair share of photos.  I think I do this because I don't want to miss anything.  Moments are so brief and all too soon forgotten, so I do my best to capture those moments before they fade from memory.  My hope is that the photos I take will call to mind the joy, satisfaction or thrill that was felt at the time...even if it's only an echo of it.  Here are some photos of the more notable enjoyments of the last few months.

"I'm glad I am alive, to see and feel 
The full deliciousness of this bright spring day."
William Allingham

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~Yosemite~



Evergreen Lodge

 Andre's favorite part of the lodge--s'mores every night!

 How great is nature and how small we truly are.

Upper Yosemite Falls


~Disneyland~

Bonding time with the cousins.

 They look like they are at the Happiest Place on Earth.


Toy Story Midway, one of our favorite attractions.

 Checking out the new Carsland.

Family

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"Come we to the summer, to the summer we will come..."

John Clare

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~Santa Cruz~

Seven years had passed since we last saw Billy's cousin and his family.  At the time, we had visited them in San Diego.  Andre was no more than one.  Since that time, Anthony, who is in the Navy, had traveled to several locations before recently settling down in the Central Valley.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet each other somewhere halfway.

 The boardwalk.

Such vibrant colors!

Cousins photo

It was so nice to have the opportunity to spend time with extended family at such a fun, lively place.


~Fourth of July at HMB~


One of the things I associate with summer...blowing bubbles!

And beach volleyball...


Wet and wild crew!


Friends 'til the end.


~Camping at Albion~

Upon invitation, we took a trek to Mendocino County to stay the weekend at the Albion Campground.  It was a wonderful trip!  Surrounded by nature and the simplest of essentials, it was a relief to be unplugged and unfettered from the usual routine.  Here, there was little more to do than to breathe deeply of the sea-scented air, to study the breaking waves and the cloudless sky, to sit around a fire at night, toasting marshmallows and conversing under the stars.

Just a short walk from the campground, beneath a Redwood trestle bridge, lay the great Pacific Ocean.

Andre showing his dad something he found by the shore.

Quality time with Grandma.


Conquering the rock!

Fishing!  Much of the weekend was spent engaged in fishing and crabbing.

Fishing off the dock.


Fishing at sea.

Andre catches a red snapper!

He can't watch as Dan guts the fish.


Billy and I get to run off to Mendocino for a few hours.

The quaint seaside town is as gorgeous as ever.  Can we move here?
One can dream...

The rugged coastline

When we return to the camp, what do we find?  The three are fishing and crabbing yet again!

The sun setting on camp.

We were thankful to my mom and Dan for allowing us to enjoy such a restful time with them.

Color Vibe

Here's a new one for 2013...hubby and I participated in a 5k run this morning.  It was a lot of fun!!  Though I would have enjoyed it more were it not for the fact that I had strep.  Still, it was a gorgeous morning for such an event.  Cold, but with beautiful blue skies.  And our fans on the sidelines (son and grandma) had just as much fun as we did.  There was a DJ on the scene, so they got to get their groove on.  And I gave some color to the little munchkin, who I later heard pelted random, unsuspecting runners at the starting line;) 

Thousands of runners

Got color?

Before the run

With mom--our gracious sitter and photographer

We did it!!

Next in our sights...the Neon Splash Dash!

The Pilgrim & the Indian

As a prelude to Thanksgiving--and to keep these two active boys occupied--we crafted some thematic head gear and headed to the park.

From strife...

to peace.

Friends who are like brothers :)

New York, New York!

The end of June found me embarking on a whirlwind trip to Manhattan with my two trusty traveling companions.  This was our third girlfriends getaway, fourth if you include the road trip to Mendocino we first embarked on as a trio back when we were wee youths of nineteen and twenty.  This trip was amazing for so many reasons.  Firstly, because of how it came about--planned within just a week, if memory serves me correctly!  One hubby's airline miles covered most of our flight, another hubby's points covered our hotel, and a third hubby treated us to a night out at the Metropolitan Opera, including dinner at the posh Grand Tier Restaurant.  Wow!!!  All in all, this trip worked out to be an affordable treat that never would have been possible were it not for our gracious and generous husbands.  We are truly blessed...

Not that there weren't a few hiccups...

Arriving at JFK at 1 a.m. after a six hour flight delay

Still smiling tho :)

Scrounging for dinner at Times Square, 2 a.m.

Before crashing down at our bed-bug free hotel.

 Yay, reunited with our dear Holly!  Our first stop...Central Park.

Holly consulting her phone, Penny. 

The photo buffs

Izzy's quintessential NY experience--coffee at Central Park.

Originally, it was coffee at Central Perk, but since it doesn't really exist...

Izzy: "Am I really in New York?"

Next stop:  Getting our hair done, compliments of our 

hubbies who surprised us with gift certificates to the drybar.

Did I mention how awesome our hubbies are?

(I'll be honest, I never even heard of the place until I got the g.c.)

A chandelier made from blowdryers

Hmm, should we choose the Cosmopolitan,

the Mai-Tai, the Up-tini or the Southern Comfort?

Boy, were we impressed!  They offer you champagne, mimosas, etc.

while a girlie movie plays on the screen as your hair is done.  

All we had was water ;)

Rocking the Cosmo-Tai

(If you don't know what that is, you'll have 

to check out drybar's hair menu.)

Holly, hailing a cab :)

An evening at the Metropolitan Opera House

This was Holly's quintessential NY experience.

Incidentally, it was her hubby who gallantly arranged

our dinner and provided the theater tickets.

Glamorous Holly!

We were thrilled when the guy we asked to 

take our photo turned out to be a professional.

He got down on his knee to take this shot!

Feeling like Cinderella!  Pinch me, it must be a dream...

 The lovely grounds of the Lincoln Center

Julliard in the background 

Bright lights, big city

A full moon night

Heading back to the hotel

Times Square at night

Such vibrant lights in the city that never sleeps.

On the way to the Chelsea Marketplace for our food tour.

The tour guide explaining the difference between a male 

and female lobster.

At the end of the three hour tour, we are stuffed and sweaty.

Temperature was in the 90's!

The High Line Park

Next up, FAO Schwartz so we can buy some pasalubong for our kids.

The lobby of the W Hotel Times Square

Lovely Izzy!

One of the best aspects of this hotel, other than the location,

was their Acura service.  It saved us lots of $ on cab fares,

and their drivers were so helpful and friendly.

Izzy's birthday dinner celebration

What a view!  Watching the sun set on the city.

Holly's surprise: "It's not my birthday!"

The birthday girl

It was definitely a FRIENDS themed weekend

The River Cafe's garden is enchanting at night,

a la "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Funny little story...As we are waiting for the attendant to

grab us a cab, an older gentleman comes up to us and asks

how our dinner was.  We tell him we enjoyed it immensely. 

He then proceeds to make a little small talk, asking us where we're 

from.  During the course of the conversation, Izzy asks, 

"What do you do here?"  His response, after giving us a queer look is, 

"I'm just a worker."  Hmm....As he gets into his Mercedes, Izzy says,

"I bet he's the owner."  Sure enough, she was right!

Michael (Buzzy) O'Keeffe

My quintessential NY experience--viewing the Manhattan skyline.

Gorgeous!!! 

 The Brooklyn Bridge, with Izzy gazing on.

A shot of both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge

behind it, and Holly taking her own photo ;) 

 So glad I brought my good camera.  I never would've been

able to take these night shots otherwise.

Yet another surprise of the evening...

someone got all three of us matching totes.

What an amazing parting gift to commemorate an 

equally amazing trip!

Goodbye, New York!! Time for our carriage to turn back into a pumpkin.
Thanks to good friends who are a joy to be with,

and thanks to our Star hubbies who let us out to play.