Fairwell Summer...Hello Fall

It's been a while...I took an unplanned break from this space. Our spring and summer passed without documentation. And that's okay! I feel a little rusty at the keyboard today, but I've got some pictures to share that will help ease me back into the groove...

Here's a little of what we got into over the summer:

The very first event that happened this summer was HAIRCUT-TIME!

Next up CAMP!

Coleman and Aaron at their first overnight camp on the left and Max's mountain biking group on the right.

The first week of summer consisted of football for Coleman and Max had a week of chilling out (I didn't take any pictures of either). The following week Coleman and his friend Aaron went to overnight camp at Frontier Ranch - fun was had by all. That same week Max did a week of mountain biking and I think he discovered how much of a blast it can be. He had a great time! Then it was Max's turn for overnight camp! Check out that smile! He had an unfortunate run in with a hornet. And was really homesick - he doesn't want to go back next year. But he made a new friend who lives pretty close by and we've already benefited from that. So it was worth it in the end.

Max chose the top bunk for his first overnight camping experience at Camp Campbell.

We made the obligatory trip to The Garden of Eden with our friends once and then with just the family (minus Kitty who really doesn't like water).

Sean, Coleman, Max and Aaron

We spent some quality time at the Soquel HS swimming pool!

We went to the beaches a few times, but surprisingly fewer than in summers past. The beaches are crowded in the summer and we seem to enjoy them most the other three seasons.

Next up we took a quick trip to visit friends in Seattle! We got to ride on a SeaDoo, go kayaking, fishing, motor boating and generally just had a blast with our friends!

 

We had a quick visit with Uncle Chuck one day! That's always popular with the brothers. And Nana came to stay with us for a bit in August! We went to a Scottish Faire in Monterey while Nana was visiting! And celebrated TWO birthdays! AND, Grandma Tania also came for Max's birthday week for a few visits, while she stayed with a friend not too far away.

 

Football season began August 1st! We've been getting into the rhythm of scheduled things since then and we're about to start school this Wednesday!

So, that catches you all up on what we've been up to since last I wrote here. I hope to be more regular and more interesting :) in the future!

Tell me what you did this summer! And what are you looking forward to this fall?

Happy School Year!

road trip to vegas

Spring break sprang itself on us and I didn't have a plan. I'm not even sure how I came up with the idea to go to Las Vegas. It was a thought, then suddenly it was a phrase whispered into the ear of one of my boys, then it was a plan to see my cousin, then it was a plan to meet up with friends and my brother. It just was. And it was swell.

It was a mellow and lovely visit with Mary Ann, Bill and Michael, and of course Daisy. They were patient and gracious hosts. It's been too long since we saw them last (close to a decade). And though the trip took nine hours it actually made me feel like I have family nearby. I like that. Michael, Mary Ann and Daisy brought us to Redrock Canyon National Conservation area. What a beautiful place to hike around. Next time we visit we'd like to spend an entire day hiking there. The boys were psyched to parkour around the rocks. We briefly hiked around before we set back for a dinner with friends and Chuck in town.

Before we hit the road to go home we went to the famous Gold & Silver Pawn. There was a line to get in. Crazy, right? It was not nearly as big as I thought it was going to be, but they had some pretty cool stuff in there. If you look carefully at the building in the distance that looks a little like the Seattle Space Needle, you are looking at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, and you can jump off the top of it if you want (attached to a bungee cord). Or ride up the needle part at 45mph then plummet down. Or dangle over the edge on a mechanical spinning thingy. I tried to talk the kids into a ride, but they weren't having it. Had they said yes, I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off. Maybe next time.

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: 

create: together

This summer is already a winner in my book. The boys actually like their swim lessons and various camp adventures, we have had wonderful weather and I've already had two great days with the metals community I am a part of. Wednesday, July 3rd I took my boys along for the creative journey. I'm so glad I did! We took part in a cuttlefish casting party and pot luck at a fellow metalsmith's home in Aptos. Along with the wonderful human company there were miniature donkeys to admire.

The boys and I each made a little silver piece. We prepared the cuttlefish bone and carved it with our own designs. I then wired the two sides of the bone together (carved side to flat side), melted some silver and poured it into the molds we made. All three were successful and now we've just got to clean them up! I'll post the final product in a couple weeks when we're all done. Meanwhile, enjoy a few pictures from our little art adventure.

| memories |

Ah, summer always brings me back to being a kid. Do you remember being a kid? I have vague memories of my childhood. The memories I cherish most I cannot replicate for my children. I remember family gatherings at my Nana's house. Her backyard filled with her many children and their offspring. Swimming in that lovely blue pool of hers, diving off the diving board. Grampy always said there was a shark in the deep end and I figured I ought to be careful, so after diving I would swim as fast as I could into the shallow end or to the side and right out of the pool as quick as I could. I remember family surrounding me and lots and lots of love. I remember the love and simple warmth of being a part of something whole and wonderful.

This past weekend the boys camped out in the back yard with some friends. Roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire. Stayed up late. Played video games. Rode their bikes at the bike park - after riding from a friend's house to the park! Swam in a big creek. Went to the movies and ate junk food and drank soda. I'm hoping these moments weave themselves into the fibers of their memories as precious ones and bring them as much joy remembering them as they had living them.

I hope everyone's summer is wonderful so far!