Bwahahaha

Now, I LOVE my mom. I do. But usually when she emails me anything political, well, I pour myself a good stiff drink, apologize to the voices of reason and prepare to once again ask myself if I am adopted. Because god only knows what kind of right-wing conspiracy-theory her senior citizen friends are spreading around the Internet now.

But I am proud to say that my mom sent me this:

Thank you for making my day, mom. I guess I'm not adopted afterall!

Annika and Anna: beach friends

Ages 3 and 2


Ages 8 and 7

Despite Annika being one year older, she wears size 1 shoes; Anna wears size 6 (!!) and is 3 inches taller.

more photos from the coast

Our beloved and gorgeous friends, Julie and Rod. Don't they look like a Ralph Lauren ad??

With Haystack Rock and Cape Kiwanda in the background.



Rod, me and Greg after maybe some wine was consumed....

I sewed something!!

I have been wanting to try one of the Amy Butler patterns but wasn't sure which to try. I'd get on my favorite fabric-porn shops on-line and just couldn't decide. Then I discovered a local (even better!) shop that carries only Amy's lovely fabrics and patterns. I chose the Anna Tunic and some gorgeous brown floral fabric and got started. It was a bit complicated for my sewing skills and several times I had to turn off my music and re-read the instructions (what the HELL is "understitching"?!) but I finished it and it turned out quite lovely, if I do say so myself.

Unfortunately, with my body-type (NO WAIST) I resemble a refridgerator when wearing it...a large, brown-floral refridgerator. But I'll wear it with pride because damnit, I MADE IT.

aaaahhhhhh......

Anna and I just had SUCH a wonderful weekend in Oregon. We spent the first night with Auntie Lala and loved our time with her, then Friday we did a couple things in Portland including getting to see the gorgeous nursary where Lala works, getting to meet Greg's lovely girlfriend for coffee and my first-ever stop into an Athropologie store...whooo boy...that place was DANGEROUS! I managed to (mostly) refrain (ok, I bought t-shirt for me and a very cute hat for Anna) but man, I seriously wanted one of everything. Just, wow. I'm glad we don't have one here.

Then we headed for the coast, singing songs from the Sound of Music at the top of our lungs most of the way there. We headed straight for the beach. Anna was so excited by the sand that she literally opened the door of the car and started playing in the sand right there in the parking lot....poor little city-kid! Friday night was just a nice dinner at home with Rod and Julie; they are such graceous hosts, and their house and yard is so amazing: full of music and creativity and incredible treasures from their travels.

Saturday was warm and sunny (for the first time in months, they said) and we packed some food and wine in a cooler, loaded up with books and blankets and after a FABULOUS breakfast at the Grateful Bread, spent the entire day at the beach in the dunes. We hunted for treasures and built a sandcastle, and Greg and his daughter Annika joined us. Annika is exactly one year older than Anna, and while they played together as babies and toddlers, they have only seen each other once in the past 3.5 years. Nonetheless, they clicked immediately and spent hours playing the sand and building a very complicated fortress for a centipede they found named Millie. Meanwhile Greg, Rod and Julie and I lounged on the blankets, discussing wine (Greg and Rod are both very knowledgeable), relationships, art, books and politics...it was so, so relaxing and wonderful to spend time with these dear old friends. After 5 hours at the beach and sun-burns for Rod and I, we headed to Hawk Creek in Neskowin for dinner. Then, because we weren't ready for the day to end we all headed back up to Rod and Julie's house. On the way we saw our old friend Mark out in his garden, and we stopped and dragged him and Kim up as well; more wine and laughter and music and great conversation. It was just the best, BEST day I've had in a long time. I just wish David had been there with us.

Sometimes I get nostalgic for Oregon; it just feels like HOME to me, more than any other place I've ever lived. And spending time with these people reminds me how much I miss them, and how blessed we are by their presence in our lives. We made such good friends during our time there. Anna and Rod just picked up seamlessly; it always surprises me how, for a child who is usually pretty reserved around even family, she just climbs up into Rod's lap and claims him as her own. They have a very, very special relationship. Sunday morning she even asked him to wrestle; it was very cute. Then, he took her for a ride on his motorcycle, again totally amazing me that she was willing to step outside her comfort zone. She came back with perma-grin and hasn't stopped talking about it since.

Leaving was hard; Anna managed to hold it together until we got into the car and shut the doors, and then she just dissolved into tears....she couldn't even look at them to wave good-bye. We drove down the drive-way and then I pulled over and we just hugged and cried for awhile. It's hard, when you love someone so much, to have to say good-bye.

It would be a hell of a lot easier if they weren't so damn wonderful!



Anna at Cape Kiwanda.

With Haystack Rock in the background...

In the dunes on Friday. Unfortunately, the battery on my camera died after I took about 4 pictures and I didn't have my charger! So all the photos from the rest of the weekend are on Julie's camera. I'll post more when Rod emails them to me.

bring on the rain

Tomorrow, Anna and I are off to Oregon for a long weekend visiting family (Lala in Portland) and friends (Ra Ra! and Julie on the coast).

After the ENDLESS WINTER we've had, in which so much snow was dumped on us that if I ever have the opportunity to meet Al Gore in person, I'm going to kick his ass for making us believe in something called "Global Warming", well, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to simply getting RAINED ON in Oregon.

There will be walking on the beach, collecting cool rocks and agates, eating breakfast at the Grateful Bread and perhaps some wine consumed while visiting with old, dear friends.

And maybe, just maybe, a stealthy visit to a storage shed where I happen to know that the old wooden "Migrations" sign from our coffee shop/bookstore is sitting, waiting to be liberated...

Have a happy weekend! See ya'll on Monday!

tragic accident

When I went into Anna's room this morning to check on her progress getting dressed for school, I came upon this horrible scene. I still don't know what happened, but as far as I can tell, her stuffed animals staged some sort of protest and attacked.

Last Friday was Hawaiian Day at Bug's school. So we went to the party-store and got her a grass skirt, flowers for her hair, and I made a surf-board appliqued t-shirt. She looked pretty darn cute, didn't she?