Wednesday, June 29, 2005


Late morning, sun shining, still in our 'jamas. It's all good.
Maria and I strolled around the yard for a bit, then stopped to water our little garden.

Max and I dropped by a nursery last week and brought home some herbs and a tomato, zinnias, a daisy, marigolds and lemon balm. We rummaged around the yard to collect pots, we chased away spiders, then we potted our new garden. It is small, but gratifying. I wish we had a good spot for more tomatoes, some zucchini (it only takes one zucchini to have plenty) and Alex was asking about pumpkins. It would be nice to plant pumpkins. No room. No room. So we'll make the most of our potted garden. It cheers up the entry to our Treehouse. It cheers me too.


Even a few plants grown in containers can yield a pretty bouquet.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Here is a link to the beautiful Lighthouse photo taken by Janece's dad: Point Loma Lighthouse. Inside it is set up as it was when the lighthouse keeper and his family lived there. The boys and I were imagining what it might have been like living far, far from town, and in such a wonderful spot. Geoff and I took the size in to consideration, and were reminded that it is possible to live in a smaller space. But honestly, I wouldn't want the burden of finding crawl space for a baby in a home as small as the Lighthouse.

Crawl space is a premium around here. Upstairs is dangerous because of the stairs, and putting in a gate is necessary, but still technically unresolved. The railing is metal and slim. I don't think we will easily find a suitable gate. Downstairs is mostly safe, but it leaves me with a limited area for getting things done; the kitchen and school gear being upstairs. Of course summer heat will change things too. As it warms up we will suffer too much living and cooking upstairs, and like last summer we may find ourselves retreating to the family room and the tent in the yard. Wouldn't life be dull without these minor challenges?

Right now Maria is playing at my feet. I was cooking... albondigas are simmering on the stove and I am half-way through making corn tortillas. Masa is caked on my fingers. But Maria was through with her swing in the kitchen, and since she can practically fling herself out of the swing, it seemed like the right time to let her crawl around downstairs. Alex and Max are building with Legos and William is finishing a math assignment. All their friends have left on vacations. Geoff is at work.

I should have mentioned that my brother, Bill, was in Coeur d' Alene doing the Ironman. I should have gone there to help Alison cheer him on. He swam 2.5 miles. He rode a bicycle for 112 miles. He ran a marathon. He did all of this in the light of a single day. He regrets that he "didn't train for the event." ?! He says he rode his mountain bike a lot, took a few swims, but never ran. He says he did climb stairs behind his taqueria, but that he also ate a few too many Trader Joe's cheesecakes. ?! I may be closer to triathlon condition than I knew. Now he and Alison are home, and hopefully recovering from an Ironman is as easy as the training was.

As a recurring theme this may get dull, but I must again express shock and awe: Next week is 4th of July! If time is going to insist on hurtling us through space at a pace that cannot be reckoned with, then I had better hang my Christmas lights this Saturday. I can't keep up. I can only reflect and say, "Huh, was that last week?" Well, happy birthday Phil, Julie, Bill, Hans, Delia, Jared. Happy Flag Day. Congratulations graduates. And while I am thinking of it: Happy birthday Adam, Gretchen, Ruth, Eunice, Sophie, Jola, Henry, Becky-Sioux, Nancy, Corm, Alison, James...

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Local Tourists



We have been playing tourist, in our own county, and enjoying local sights. It's all thanks to the eased up pace at Geoff's office. During the week he has to be on hand to deal with bugs, and over the weekend he has been free to hang out with us.

So far we have been to the shore at dark to appreciate the red tide; which from the website only looks like something to be deathly afraid of. After dark the red tide does something indescribably magical. Allow me to describe the indescribable: The waves glow an irridescent aquamarine, and if you walk in the water and sand everything that contacts the algae glows as well. It sparkles, moves and shines brightly. We ran up and down the beach saying "OOH" and Ahhhh" and "look at this, look at this." Our feet twinkled, and sticks dragged through the sand made a luminous trail.

We also went to LEGOLAND, Cabrillo National Monument, and back to the Maritime Museum of San Diego... next we have tickets for Summer Pops. It may be awhile before we have time for an extended vacation, but in the meantime we can wear ourselves out in pursuit of local fun.


The Lighthouse at Cabrillo.