Nana to the Rescue - It's a Sunny Day!

Nana left behind the snow and freezing cold to join the crew in the sunshine. A high of 73 degrees today. We are excited to have Nana here to help out for a week and a half. Nana has a healing presence, and an unrelenting drive to build legos. Always busy, she'll keep our minds focused on getting things done. We surely need some of that about now.

Earrings for Tese

January 5th through the 9th I could be found at the Cabrillo College Metals Studio making earrings. And being overloaded with more information than I could put to use in such a short period of time. Cabrillo is a five minute drive - no, a three minute drive and a 7 minute bike ride from our house. I was pressed for time, not to arrive but to pick Max up at school on the way home, so this time I drove. However, I will be biking for the next class!

I learned how to enamel using a torch, learned how to drill a stone or piece of glass. I got to use equipment I haven't used in years and I got to be around a lot of women interested in making things out of metal and other materials just like me. I was in a room with only women, a big change from the testosterone pulsing household of 2730 Rosedale. It was a lovely change of pace. I didn't make a whole lot, but think I accomplished enough with the little amount of time we were given to work. In addition to doing something I love (learning and playing with fire) I also met some people I hope to stay in touch with. And that's worth the price of admission in and of itself!



1. My teacher, Teresa wearing the pair of earrings I made her. The pair are a miss-matched duo of beach stones with silver hearts (because there was a joke about using heart images in artwork).



2. Coke top earrings. This was a joint effort between Chris and I. He enjoys turning bottle caps into little domes and I drilled a hole for the ear wire and put sparkles on the back. They were fun and easy to make and everyone seemed to enjoy them tremendously.



3. Crow earrings. Unfinished, these are precious crows with real feathers pressed into the metal of the wing. I sweat soldered the wings on and they will have dangly legs and feet that move. I enjoyed making these and putting them together.



4. Flower Stone earrings. These are for MB's birthday. A duo of miss-matched but familial beach stones gathered at Bean Hollow State Beach, they have flowers on each earring, different, but similar again.



5. Black stones. My first pair of drilled stones. I loved making drilled stone earrings and I'm going to make more, lots more (I hope) with both sterling wire and 18 kt gold wire (same amount of work but could sell for a lot more $$). Get your orders in early! Next pair I'm going to try to stack my rocks. Fun, Fun, Fun!

Animal Time at Rocking Horse

Here are a few shots of Max at "animal time" at his preschool. You can see how delighted he is, animal time is shear joy for the kids. They get to collect eggs and feed the goats and climb trees. We feel really lucky to have found Rocking Horse Ranch. It is the perfect place to be a child, make friends and discover yourself at just the right pace. No pressure to perform, no academic goals of over-achievement. Just physical play and social education and learning about life on a farm. I want to attend school there!

Christmas with Papa

This Christmas we had the gift of Papa's fine company. After a 17 hour journey which took him from Providence to Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego and finally San Jose, Papa arrived at our house (without luggage or medicines) around 11 pm pacific time. I think he may still be recuperating from his trip. The weather cooperated with us for the most part, it was a little wet and a little cold at times, but the sun also shone upon us frequently and there was neither snow nor ice storm in sight. While Papa was here we were able to visit a couple beaches, toured by car Santa Cruz and spent quality time in the over-grown yard. It was a mellow visit with plenty of laughter and our fair share of winter illnesses. Papa was also very helpful in the kitchen and laundry room! Thanks, Papa!

A New New Year's Tradition

I can hardly believe we've just welcomed 2009. This year for our New Year's celebration we went camping at a place called Costanoa. It is north of us by a short car ride. We didn't time it, but before there was a single piffle from our mini passengers we had arrived. Each of us happier than the next to start the adventure at hand. We had platform tents and electricity, and brought a space heater for the boys tent. There was also a restaurant on the campsite grounds which we went to our first night. It wasn't roughing it by any stretch of the imagination.

New Year's Eve night the campsite was full and the restaurant was booked so we had to make due with what we could produce ourselves, which was perfectly fine, and we mooched off our neighbors who had come far better prepared than we were for a party! The boys spent the evening playing flash light tag, coloring in their tent with their new friends and generally running around making noise and delighting in the joy freedom brings to the very young and not usually so free. Our next door neighbors were also from the Santa Cruz area and we are all going to try to make a tradition of New Year's Eve at Costanoa. They also invited us to their next bonfire on the beach (not yet a set date, but soon) which will be our first of many, I hope. I do like fire, and bonfires are usually big fires.

It was an all around good time. Though, it didn't make up for the fact that we missed our trip to Canada to visit Chris' dad and Marilyn and the rest of the northern branch of the clan. Perhaps the spring will give us an opportunity to go north in sure travel conditions.