Coleman and Chris go to Yosemite

My two big guys went into to the woods last week. This trip was brewing in Chris' mind for a couple of months. With very little spare time to plan, Chris was able to make a pretty magnificent long weekend for the two of them.

The drive to Yosemite is just five hours. A world away in five hours. Enjoy a few of the pictures the guys took while they were there.

grateful: friends

Oh Those Birds!

Ari and Isac watching the birds herd the sardines.

We've been living in Soquel for five years. For the past three we've been able to witness this remarkable scene at New Brighton or another nearby beach. The birds herd the sardines! It's a sardine fest for sea fairing birds and otters and seals, we didn't see dolphins this time, but we have on other occasions. It's breath taking. The sight. The sound.

We met our friends at the beach for a bonfire and some dinner and this is the scene we happened upon. I wasn't expecting it and only had my phone with me, so pardon the poor pictures. I think they give you the general idea though.

Ari and the birds.

I was trying to get a shot of the seal swimming close by, but it ducked back into the water just as I got this...They're so big.

My friend, Kerith and two of her three boys looking at the birds herding the sardines.

On the path to the sea was this beautiful and thorny thistle.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, a single moment to savor and share. 

inspired by soulemama.com

 

Grateful: Thursdays with Mary

Max decorated his horse, Shadow with feathers and red paint. So pretty.

Max has been learning Natural Horsemanship since January of this year. This has been a wonderful experience for him. He's got a natural connection and deep love for animals. I think he feels most at peace with the world when he is with them. We were so darn lucky to find such a wonderful teacher our first try. My friend Jenni, who connected me with Mary called her "Magic Mary". I think it's true. Max loves talking with Mary. And listening to her. He always leaves her farm just a little happier and more centered than when he arrived. I feel we are both so fortunate to have this time with the horses and with Mary.

eat: gluten free pizza

It's no secret we eat a lot of pizza in this house. I make it every Friday. It isn't the most healthy food, in reality. But we love it so. I used Pamela's Products Pizza Dough Mix. I baked it on my pizza stone, but made it on a piece of parchment paper and put the parchment right onto the pizza stone. The parchment is important because GF dough is very different to handle than dough with gluten. It's a bit more delicate. But as you can see, it looks just like a regular pizza and it was pretty darn delicious.

read: summer books

The boys and I just finished reading the fifth book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. It's called The Sorcerer of the North, by John Flanagan. This has been a really fun series to read together. It reminds me just a little of The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart in that the main characters are all orphans, all uniquely gifted and all learn to learn to embrace and hone their gifts.

We have been reading these books one after the other since May. If you are looking for adventure and thoughtfully, well developed characters this series may be for you or your kids. It's perfect for boys, but there are also strong female characters that would be appealing to young girls as well. There are no damsels in distress here. There is good against evil, quiet contemplation, personal challenges and intrigue.

Coleman just finished reading the Escape from Furnace series by

Alexander Gordon Smith. This is the kind of book that seems pervasive right now in young adult literature. Dystopian society with the young adults and children both victims and the heroes. Coleman spent many a late night reading these books. He was genuinely excited about them. I haven't read these books myself, but when Coleman finished the last book he told me he was almost moved to tears by the final pages of the final book, I figured it must have been at least well written. We just pre-ordered Alexander Gordon Smith's newest book The Fury, a post apocalyptic zombie thriller!

As for me, I'm reading Ordinarily Sacred by Lynda Sexson. I've only just begun, but I'm enjoying her take on sacred objects. I learned about the book from the lecture I went to a couple weeks ago, given by Ken Bova. He mentioned it and it's also on his website. I bought it for a penny on amazon.com. I am intrigued by the notion that we begin creating our sacred images early and without influence from religion. With just our surroundings and nature and what we perceive as precious. That notion is what I think informs Ken Bova's work. It's also something I observe in my own boys and even myself. I can look at the shelves in my own studio and see containers of objects I've been collecting for years that are precious to me and all with the purpose of one day finding a place for them in some piece of art or jewelry or sacred spot in my home. 

How to be Perfect by Ron Padgett is a book of poems. I haven't spent time with poetry since college. That's a long while. Intrigued by the title which is also the title of a poem in this collection, I was not disappointed. I guess I'm in the mood for being outside my own small world and my mind needs a rest from my own thoughts. These poems are very accessible and enjoyable. I hope you will have a chance to read some of them.

Here's a small excerpt from

"How to Be Perfect" by Ron Padgett - (I've highlighted the things that made me pause.)

Get some sleep. 

Don't give advice.

Take care of your teeth and gums.

Don't be afraid of anything beyond your control. Don't be afraid, for instance, that the building will collapse as you sleep, or that someone you love will suddenly drop dead.

Eat an orange every morning.

Be friendly. It will help make you happy.

Hope for everything. Expect nothing.

Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room before you save the world. Then save the world.

Know that the desire to be perfect is probably the veiled expression of another desire- to be loved, perhaps, or not to die.

Make eye contact with a tree.

Be skeptical about all opinions, but try to see some value in each of them.

Dress in a way that pleases both you and those around you.

Do not speak quickly.

Learn something every day. (Dzien dobre!)

Be nice to people before they have a chance to behave badly.

Don't stay angry about anything for more than a week, but don't forget what made you angry. Hold your anger out at arm's length and look at it, as if it were a glass ball. Then add it to your glass ball collection.

Be loyal.

Wear comfortable shoes. 

Design your activities so that they show a pleasing balance and variety.

Be kind to old people, even when they are obnoxious. When you become old, be kind to young people. Do not throw your cane at them when they call you grandpa. They are your grandchildren!

Live with an animal.

Do not spend too much time with large groups of people.

If you need help, ask for it.

Cultivate good posture until it becomes natural. 

If someone murders your child, get a shotgun and blow his head off.

Plan your day so you never have to rush.

Show your appreciation to people who do things for you, even if you have paid them, even if they do favors you don't want.

Do not waste money you could be giving to those who need it.

Expect society to be defective. Then weep when you find that it is far more defective than you imagined.  

When you borrow something, return it in an even better condition.

As much as possible, use wooden objects instead of plastic or metal ones.

Look at that bird over there.

After dinner, wash the dishes.

Calm down.

Visit foreign countries, except those whose inhabitants have expressed a desire to kill you.

Don't expect you children to love you, so they can, if they want to.

Meditate on the spiritual. Then go a little further, if you feel like it. What is out (in) there?

Sing, every once in a while.

Be on time, but if you are late do not give a detailed and lengthy excuse.

Don't be too self-critical or too self-congratulatory.

Don't think that progress exists. It doesn't.

Walk upstairs.

... There are two more pages of this poem, you should read it. It's lovely.

A Continuous Journey

The boys and I took a road trip to Redway last week. It's a spot we've been before, with many fond memories. It's hot there. Hot like it is back in Massachusetts during the summer months. Though, it cools off at night, unlike Mass. Cool waters helped manage the ninety degree air, and then chilling together with the ceiling fan on inside the cabin with a book or game or movie. The few days we had there were relaxing and lovely. They were also a little lonely as the boys realized they really missed their father and their dog. They're at that age, methinks that daddy may need to be more involved than mum. An age that a boy seeks his father's advice more than his mothers, a father's time more than his mothers and they really start studying what it is to be a man. A rockin' rollin', mountain biking, hard working man.

The first morning we woke in Redway, Max and Coleman put on their suits and went down to the river on their own before it was too hot. They're getting old enough to do stuff like that. I looked down from the yard onto the river and rocky sand bar down below. What I saw was something that brings a smile to my face now and will always. Max was "stealthily" following a deer. Running to catch up to it, hiding behind tall grass, running a little more. Needless to say, the deer was faster than he was, but what a scene to behold.

The guys are getting big, as you can see from the pictures, Coleman has been growing at a rate of about 1/4 inch per week for the past couple of months. It makes for a tired 11 year old, let me tell you. You know what, though? He's also more patient and more independent. He's trying more interesting foods, and coming into his own. Max is also getting big fast. He's always been independent, but he's really showing this aspect of himself to be a prominent one. I watch him and can't believe he was just one when we left Massachusetts. He's about to turn nine, this August!

Summer is a time for pause. It is also a time to become engulfed in little moments and nature that the school year just doesn't allow for. This has been a summer to embrace free time and brotherhood. Stillness and change. My own changing role as mother, partner and individual has been on my mind in the quiet moments. For me, this is a juncture in my path where I turn a slightly different direction than I've been following. Of course this lines up with junctures in Coleman's and Max's paths. There is a great deal to think about, be thankful for and a lot to do ahead! Pause. Change. Embrace.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far!

Pictures from our day at Shelter Cove: