Not a very clear picture of Brent, but I like the trail of light streaming behind his kayak. It's a manifestation of how magical it is to be waste high gliding through the water!


Again, not a great photo (the back side of Cole), but I was torn between photography and just being lost out on the water with my kids. Kayaking is strangely a group and solo activity all at the same time. (A lot like snorkeling, which we did down the river the day before). I love, love, love living in the foothills and how I was able to take a two day "vacation" (worked in the morning, played in the afternoon) and not even leave the area. Home was base camp for really great adventures so close by. Today we were at a reservoir at Yuba Gap.

I loved seeing my whole crew out in front of me.

The Paddling Group

This trip, we went with Grandma Lorri's "paddling group," consisting mostly of seniors. One woman brought her dog along, he loved it. I was surprised by his doggy life vest. I suppose his legs aren't long enough to effectively dog paddle. . .


Dave was the most senior of the group, he is eighty-years-old. He couldn't walk very well (he has one prosthetic leg), but he was one heck of a paddler. Lorri's nick-name for him is "arch" for Patriarch. Way to go Dave. . .

31 Flavors

Doing some research on the "suet" I had just bought for my birdfeeder, I found a web-site that explains what to feed birds. It stated that suet is the fat around a cow's kidneys, used in feeding certain wild birds because of the protein and energy it provides. The fat is processed in a "cake" with a variety of traditional bird fixin's blended throughout. Mmmmm. . .

The web-site had this helpful suggestion for which type of suet to purchase: "Start with a suet that is most appealing to you. Ingredients vary from peanuts to papaya, hot pepper to almond, berry to cherry, and raisin to insect." While reading I wondered, would the almond and insect fatty suet be the most appealing to me. . ?

The Girls Are Back in Town

Hiking in the Heat

Amy and I went on a sweltering hike in the heat of a Saturday afternoon. With the sun blazing down on us and the powdery trail kicking up dust in our dry throats (some one forgot their water) the cool river tempted us below. We skipped taking an extra route to make it down to the river in order to get home and gulp ice water like fiends.

We did come across a beautiful little water fall, however as thirsty as we were, we were not excited about getting giardia, so we merely wetted our faces and pulse points instead of indulging in a much needed drink.

Hannah's Feat

Newport Beach, CA - self portrait Hannah's feet

You Do Make A Difference

I recently read a great article in "National Geographic" about Swarm Intelligence. The basic model based on studying species that swarm (birds, bees, ants, fish, etc.) states that the simple actions of an individual adds up to the complex behavior of a group. How? By countless interactions between each (responsible) individual in the swarm. Based on local information, swarm species pay close attention to the bird, insect next to them and the response creates a collective whole.

I sometimes ponder, does my little dent in this ginormous world really make a difference -- is my treading lightly (and teaching my children to do the same) really going to benefit any of the larger issues we need to change in society? Well, using my friends Molly and George as an example, and based on Swarm Intelligence, the solar panels on the roof of their house and their biodeisel cars in their driveway are, unwittingly, communicating to others around them, who are in turn communicating to those nearby. Self, family, community, world.

Whether humans are pack animals, swarm species, herds (probably a mixture of all types), management at large corporations study swarm intelligence applying it to organization and decision making. Luckily, us non-corporate types don't have to study it, we can just live it.

The Boys Are Back In Town

Brent and his friends while away the hours: three on the same website on lap tops and one playing a Wii game. Got to keep your eye on those wiley boys.

Sick Day

My Sis

My talented sister, Stephanie, showed up on Friday night, not only with purple carnations, but three different shades of purple carnations. She promptly emptied all my kitchen utensils out of a Le Creuset utensil holder that my friend Molly had given me and created an instant center piece. Fabulous!

Shi Haung-Di

This picture of Cole was taken during last few weeks of school while performing in his "Wax Museum" project. Cole makes a very cute Emporer of China during a government run by Legalism.

Summertime

Today was 103 degrees, hot, hot, hot. When the sprinklers came on this evening to give the plants a much needed drink of water, an amazing amount of tiny birds came in flocks to have a drink themselves. My attention was first caught, while I was inside the house passing a window, by what looked like confetti being thrown in the backyard. But what I actually saw was the confetti of small birds fluttering around the besprinkled yard. I grabbed my camera and tried to capture them on film, but the birds would take off the second I flinched. I decided I did not want to interrupt the thirsty birds any longer and instead just hang out motionlessly and enjoy their noisy, happy chatter as they drenched themselves.


Try as a might, I could only capture a slight glimpse of them through the camera; if you feel like looking very closely, you can see a few tail feathers coming from the branches of the lemon tree.

The birds were very sensitive to my movement, and having the cat nearbye eyeing them probably did not help.

The daylillie's colors are a perfect representation of the heat the day.

Unfortunately, I languished so long in the evening heat that I did not make dinner for the family (we ordered Vietnamese take-out, mmmm Bobo's), or finish the two reports I had due for work. But I did feed the birds.

Amen

Running in the canyon. Making cinamony French Toast. Playing a couple games of Boggle. Listening to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on the radio. Having the perfect Sunday morning.

Body Worlds 3

While in Portland, I was very excited to have the opportunity to see the Body Worlds exhibit at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). Body Worlds is an exhibit of Plastinated (polymer preservation) corpses and body parts on display for a creative insight into the human body. The bodies are posed in different ways, "the result is a visually arresting plastinate—the ideal method for displaying a preserved body in a way that sheds light on the functions of its structures."* A few of my favorite displays were the man holding his own skin, the male and female couple dancing in an embrace, the skateboarder, and the camel (not all are human beings). Some call it art, some call it science. . . I call it the best of both worlds.

*body worlds website

Portland

Traveling with Hannah, Brent and Cole, I hoped to instill good traveling-traits in them. To be a good traveler, I believe one should:
1. Have a good sense of direction, or be competent at using a map, the internet, and asking directions.
2. Keep an open mind to new people and new environments.
3. Be organized AND flexible.
4. Be a keen observer and open to adventure.

Here are some photos that speak of Hannah's observations (just a few, she had hundreds of them. I turned the camera over to her):

(Cole on the street)



Happily, they appear to be good travelers.

Best of Show

Brent's multi-talents have won him "Best of Show" for ceramics at Placer High School (where he recently graduated from). I have been bestowed the prized piece. I not only get to say, I knew him when, I get to say, I raised him when.

Things I Saw In Auburn

Tonight while driving through Auburn during the most beautiful dusky time of the evening, when the air is glowing soft-pink and the earth is radiating a healthy green and the two comingle to make simultaneously the most calming and exciting palate ever seen, on my five minute drive to rent a movie I saw: 1) a newly constructed two-story office building titled "The Auburn Towers" 2) a sweaty athletic-built man pushing an over-sized tractor tire down the street while running. The tire faultered, with great effort the man set the tire straight again, and continued his push down the street 3) a mid-sized television set that appeared to be in perfect condition sitting alone in the middle of an empty sidewalk, its cord laying aimlessly behind it. The world is an amusing place. . . especially for the easily amused.

The Graduates

(High School)

(Jr. High)


Makes a momma proud!

Big in Texas

It may true that everything is big in Texas. Actually, I noticed that manners and politeness are big in Texas. Thrift store shopping is big in Texas -- chock full of cool stores and cool finds. It rained fairly hard while I was in Texas too. Texas: big graciousness, big finds, and big rain drops . . . yep, everything IS big in Texas.