Just for Fun

Just for fun, I just took a crash course in watercolor painting at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.  I’m not really a painter but I thought it would be fun to give it a try and the class was a real steal with a Groupon deal (maybe I’m a poet). 

During the 6 hour class our instructor, Cathrine Southall, did a great job of teaching us some basic techniques including washes (wet on wet) and glazing (wet on dry).  We completed several color samplings, painted a real apple and even worked on a composition from a chosen photo.  I was pleased with the outcome overall.  It was quite a fun class.  If I didn’t already have my hand in several other arts/crafts, I’d probably be tempted to take another class and continue developing my skills.  However, I figure there will be time for that once the kids have moved out and I’m looking for things to do.  Someday. . .

Anyway, I’m in love with the VACR – love that place and wish I could afford to take more classes there.  I was really tempted by the most recent Groupon deal but let it sneak past – too bad.  The kids are also taking classes there – animation – and loving it. 

Vet Training

 Homeschooling has taken an interesting turn at our house.  Veterinarian training has been mandatory this week.  Catheters, cones and crates . . . life at our house has been centered on the patient.  When to administer the meds, monitoring the urine output, mixing up the enticing entrees to induce eating – it’s all about Bentley. 

He came home from the vet on Tuesday; less than 24 hours after having emergency back surgery for a herniated disc.  The problems began about a week beforehand when poor poochie started acting strangely.  After two visits to our vet and $400 later, x-rays revealed that he had some “narrowing between discs in his back.”  After two days of rest, Prednisone, Tramadol, and Sucrulfate  the condition worsened and hubby and I were reduced to laying on the floor beside our pained pooch all night watching him suffer (it was a Sunday night and not much could be done) until daylight when we could get him into the car and back to the vet’s office and then off to the Emergency Center for surgery. 

At an additional cost of $3200 and an estimated 6-12 week recovery, during which time we’d have to support his hind end everywhere he went, some discussion ensued before going forward.  He’s a fabulous pet, is only 4.5 years old and is an integral part of our family. Besides, who needs vacations (or food and gas) or sanity?  It’s all overrated!

Anyway, he’s home.  We’re on day 4.  Pooch is regaining some power over his hind quarters – enough to stand for a few seconds, and is following doctor’s orders (and mom’s and dad’s).  He’s such a good boy!  It’s been quite comical at times - trying to manage a leash, catheter, and towel support all at one time while he’s leading his front part out of the crate and we’re trying to get his back part to follow closely behind (so to speak).  Scott has taken the night duty, sleeping downstairs beside the patient while me and the kids are doing school work in the kitchen where we can keep an eye on him at all times during the day.  Of course we're praying for a full recovery but nothing is guaranteed. We're committed either way.

It remains to be seen how we will manage the days when we all need to be out of the house.  Grandma is on standby for babysitting. . . It’ll be much easier once the catheter is out (which might be tonight judging on how much of it has worked its way out all ready and I’ve talked to the surgeon about just pulling it out the rest of the way – Ick!). But I'm sure we'll find a way to manage.  2011 has gotten off to an interesting start.

Launching the New Year

     After the paper and presents have been put away for another year and the ball has dropped while we all looked on in disbelief at the plastic face of Dick Clark, it seems that all the fun has come and gone and another holiday season is at an end. . . But wait!. . .it’s New Year’s Day. . .we stumble out of bed, stuff something in our pie-holes, grab coffee, and head out to a local school soccer field where our friends are already setting up the launch pads.  Our friends, the Walsh family, began a New Year’s Day tradition in 2003 that has quickly becoming one of our favorite annual events.  

     The New Year’s Day Rocket Launch is quite a blast (pun intended). Many of our homeschool friends and other Walsh family friends turn up with rockets in hand.  The dads are at the ready with the kids nearby and the countdowns begin. 10, 9, 8. . . Blastoff! The rockets shoot skyward and the children take off, eyes focused on the moving target, as they race across the field to catch the falling remains (some of which are never found –like ours).

 

Dan Walsh getting ready to launch the newest family- created rocket

 

Success!

    After a few hours of launching and running, launching and running, launching and . . . . we all head over to the Walsh home to refuel with Pizza, soups, desserts and friendly conversation . We've been launched into 2011.

    

Poochie Blues

Bed rest for 3 weeks!  How do you keep a dog down? 

Our pooch, who looks like he’s ancient but is only really 3 years old, has come down with a bad back.  After many days of the hang-dog blues and several trips to the vet (and $400, ahem) we’ve established that Bentley has some bulging discs in his back that are causing poor poochie lots of pain.  6 pills a day and bed rest for 3 weeks. . . how does one accomplish such a thing, especially with 2 children in the house who love to romp with him (thus maybe explaining why he has a bad back in the first place).  To boot, the meds are making him have to urinate about every 20 minutes and we have to take him out on a leash now to keep him from running like a maniac around the yard (the pain killers seem to be doing their job).  It’s this or risk a ruptured disc that would require surgery. 

Sadly enough, I’ve been in his shoes (or booties).  I had a ruptured disc years ago and was parked on my mother’s couch for 3 weeks while she waited on me hand and foot.   It was unbelievably painful – so I know what you’re feelin’ pooch.  And Mom, if I haven’t said ‘thank you’ recently for those weeks of servitude – let me just say ‘thank you again – you saved me from some serious back surgery.’  Let’s hope I can do the same for my four-legged friend.

New Years Resolutions

It’s been way too long since I posted here.  Of course this blog was first created to document our 4 month trip around the U.S.  This time last year we were scrambling around trying to get everything in order before we took off.  It’s hard to believe we left, travelled for 4 months and have been back for 8 months.  It seems like the blink of an eye. 

 

However, 2010 is starting to fade into the distance and 2011 draws ever closer, so I figured it was time to get writing again.  

The New Year always feels like an opportunity for new beginnings.  It probably has more to do with the break in typical activities (homeschooling, running the kids to various events, etc.)  and the chance to actually slow down enough to have a coherent thought than it does with the beginning of a new year.  But the holidays always leave me feeling closer to family and friends and wanting (like last year) to do a better job of getting together with both.  Thus begin the resolutions.  

My husband and I have a long standing tradition of writing down our New Year’s resolutions in a booklet we update annually on New Year’s Eve (or thereabouts).  We have our personal resolutions of course which always include some form of body renovations.  Then we have our family resolutions which usually have a financial focus.  Can anyone relate here?  It’s always interesting to pull this book out of hiding on the eve of January 1 and see what resolutions we actually accomplished during the previous year.  I love knowing what my hubbie’s goals are and where he wants to go in life and I think the family goals help us refocus on our common interests.  Of course it’s also interesting to go back say 10 years and look at what we wrote then versus now.  It’s funny how our goals get more realistic as time goes on.   I guess we’ve learned to include at least some things we know are obtainable.  It’s sort of like adding things to a list that you’ve already accomplished and then marking them off just so you can see the progress you’ve made (yes, I actually do that sometimes).  I have friends who strive to get their Masters Degree, enter an Iron Man competition or  . . . I have to admit that none of mine are quite that ambitious.  They usually read something like – ‘survive another year of homeschooling,’ ‘learn how to spin fiber into yarn,’ or ‘try to squeeze some exercise in my days.’

Anyway, tomorrow I know I’ll be marking at least one thing off of last year’s list – “Travel for 4 months across the U.S.”  -- yippee!  This year’s goal -- I’m finally going to quilt the 9 quilt tops sitting in a heap in the sewing room closet.

So here’s to all of you who are setting your goals for the year!  May you all accomplish your dreams (or at least a small part of that dream) in 2011.

Happy New Year!

Losing Track of Time

Bandon, OR, and on to Seattle

Leaving the redwoods behind felt leaving behind old friends.  There’s a peace to those forests that is unexplainable.  Maybe it’s the wisdom and energy they contain.  Some of those trees have lived thousands of years.  Can you imagine what they’ve witnessed in their lifetimes?

I’ve started to lose track of time. . . what day is it, what month is it?  We've changed timezones three times now.

We continued up the Pacific Coast Highway admiring the meetings of sky, ocean and land.  It only gets more beautiful as you head north.  We met up with some good friends that had moved to Oregon a few years ago.  They live in Bandon, OR – a wonderfully charming town that lies along the coast and, I’m glad to report, has not one Target nor Walmart.   Somehow this place has managed to keep its old-town ambiance.  It really is lovely.  We spent a few memorable days with our friends and as we pulled away, I found myself muttering my favorite phrase of the trip “I could live here.”

Face Rock - can you see it?


We stopped off at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA on our way to Seattle.  A great place to see some phenomenal glass artists at work and learn the history of glass blowing.

We quickly hurried up to Seattle to see my brother and my S-I-L. We were glad to make it before they leave the state in a couple of more weeks.  We appreciated them putting us up in the midst of their move (hey, what’s 4 people moving in when you’re trying to pack?).  The weather wasn’t great so we didn’t get to see too much of the city but we managed to make it down to Pikes Place Market.  What a trip!  I know I’ll someday want to go back without a husband and children in tow (man they can slow a shopping girl down!) but we had a great time milling around the fish and flower markets, the craft and clothing vendors and the coffee and donut shops.  I even had my picture taken at the original Starbucks coffee shop.

Making the turn and heading east felt really strange.  It marks the beginning of the end of our “Cross Country” trip. I think we all felt a little sadness. It helped that the landscape driving from Washington through Idaho and over to Montana was remarkable.  We came over the Cascade Mtns. through the Snoqualmie Pass.

It was snowing lightly but there was a nice base of snow already on the ground and the landscape looked like a winter Christmas-tree-filled wonderland with crystal clear rivers running freely through its midst.  The camping, historical sites, museums, and time with friends and family make a trip memorable but it’s scenes like this that make the act of travelling so magical.  You know you’re witnessing a single fleeting moment of beauty that you will never see again.

 Kerby coming out of the slide at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort - a stopover on our way out of Anaconda,MT.  The springs there give forth water at 168 degrees Fahrenheit so it's mixed with cold water to keep the 4 indoor and outdoor pools at 94 and 103 degrees. It was novel swimming in bath water while looking at the snowy mountains in the distance.

We’re now in Bozeman, Montana surrounded by the mighty snowy-covered Rocky Mountains.  It’s cold here and the air is extraordinary - crisp and clean – it just makes ya feel energized.  We’ve been in a resort, a house and now a hotel for the last 7 nights. Although I’m not looking forward to bundling up in all those layers again (esp. when I know it was in the high 80’s at home today), I’m so ready to get back into my camper and be one with the outdoors again.  We’re all feeling a bit stir-crazy I think and ready for a hike.  Funny we don’t feel that closed in feeling the pop-up and it’s half the square footage of this hotel room!

I must be dreaming

3/24-25/10
After visiting St. Lobos State Reserve in Big Sur I’m not sure there’s anything left to look forward to.  Surely there can be nothing more stunning! We spent a day there climbing on the rocks, exploring the tidal pools and being mesmerized by the crashing aqua waves. It really is the ‘greatest meeting of sea and land’ around.

We’re just leaving San Francisco and our 18th campground (I know, can you believe it?) headed for the land of redwoods.  San Francisco was wonderfully entertaining.  We spent 2 days in the city hanging out on or near the Fisherman’s Wharf – both days gorgeous weather-wise.  After driving around the city and visiting China Town, we made our way to the 1-block section of Lombard St. known as the “most crooked street in the world.” Driving down it as well as walking up gave us not only great exercise but an awesome view of the city below. What a neat place it would be to live. 

Yesterday we rented tandem bikes for the day and rode them along the bay and over the Golden Gate Bridge.  Standing there on the bridge looking out over the bay out to Alcatraz seemed somewhat surreal.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I’m really conscious!  San Francisco reminded me a lot of our time in New Orleans – mainly because of all the people and side-street acts going on around every corner.  One of my favorites was a group of 4-5 guys who, with heavy bass music in the background, sit at a small booth and paint Golden Gate Bridge scenes using spray paints on poster board.  They do them in about 6 minutes. It’s incredible to watch.  They sell them for $5.00 each (way too cheap in my opinion) so of course I bought one that we had watched come to life. 

As I type we’re driving through the hilly Sonoma and Napa Valley areas admiring all of the vineyards that seem to go on endlessly.  The vines are bear of fruit but are pruned and ready for new growth.  I’m sure the growers are thankful for the recent heavy rains here after three years of drought.  It should get things off to a great start.  Glass of vino anyone?  I’m looking forward to taste-testing some local vintages along the way. Hear that hubby?