Art Projects

I stole this idea from my little sister :) The very talented Tracy Dodson took these family photos for us in Carlsbad; I just paper-clipped 5x7 prints to strands of pretty ribbon :)

This is just an old surfboard covered in pictures. We added the frames and our favorite family photo's below the board to fill in the space.
This was a Tracy Farrell idea :) Matt bolted five wood planks together, I painted them different colors, then Tracy and I used a "wood burning kit" to burn this image across the planks. I luv it! The process totally made my house smell like a campfire... :)
This was not only Matt's idea; but he also made it :) We were at Crate & Barrel on vacation and I was searching for a reason to buy fabric.... His idea = cut a giant piece of wood/board and cover it. I was skeptical; but he made it and I dig! Pretty sweet :)

Matt on Hiking in Sequoia

Day 1

I rushed home to finalize my preparations: underwear (check), socks (check), t-shirt (check), a few energy bars (check), sleeping bag (check)….I was all about the bare minimum. (Note to self: next time bring a pillow…) I met my compadres at the Shackelford home; we loaded up and headed out, reaching our hotel destination at three rivers later that night, determined catch as much sleep as possible.

Day 2

We scarfed down the complimentary breakfast of waffles and hard boiled eggs like we weren’t going to see another hot plate for two days… After driving up the mountain to the trailhead at Lodgepole, filling our water jugs and concluding last minute phone calls to family, we were officially off. We set out farther into the wilderness at an incredible pace; those eerie feelings of isolation slowly increasing. Andrew only allowed us two stops along the way, just enough time to filter the creek water and replenish our water jugs. It was only the last mile before Twin Lakes (our destination for the day) that presented a challenge, where the elevation change went from about 7000 feet to 9000. But the difficulty of that last mile made the arrival at our camp all the sweeter… We quickly found a fantastic campsite and made camp for the evening. It must have been around 3pm because most of the gang then stripped down to their bathing suits and took to the lake to wash the day’s dust off our skin; refreshing! The valley itself was absolutely stunning. The granite cliffs off to one side of the lake caught the falling sun with brilliance and the water itself was crystal clear. Dinner that night was full of laughs as Rod, Tony and John had hauled 7lbs of pre-cooked frozen orange chicken from Pick-Up-Sticks up the mountain that day. (Not camping food in my book, but it was delicious.) The highlight of the night had to be Preston exclaiming that his chicken was still frozen; as I looked at the piece he was pushing around his bowl I replied “its not cooked because that’s not chicken, that’s a water chestnut.” To which the entire camp burst out in laughter…There’s a first time for everything, right Preston? J

Day 3

I must have looked like death this morning because everyone stared at me with a look of horror or laughter. It was one of those nights where you wish morning would just come so you could get out of your tent and do something. I think I got about an hour of sleep total. I place blame on (in this order): the altitude, Reid’s whooping cough and the invisible bear trotting through our campground. Getting moving however, seemed to be the cure. I took up a fishing pole and headed to the lake (15 ft from camp) and after trying my casts in different locations, I stumbled upon the gold mine which Tony Miller appropriately named “Mueller’s Reef.” I caught 12 fish in about 20 minutes which, for me, is absolutely incredible. I guess fishing can actually be fun… Unfortunately, it was time to break camp and head to our next destination. While Twin Lakes was totally awesome, it’s one downside was that it was against the rules to have a campfire. However, Ranger Lake, three miles out, did allow campfires. Three miles sounded totally doable (considering we hiked seven the first day), but little did we know that the three miles included a one mile span of hiking switchbacks from 9100ft to 10400ft, then another 2 miles almost straight down into Ranger Lake. We set off and made great time. The views from the top of Sillman Pass were absolutely breathtaking. The tops of the mighty sierras stretched as far as the eye could see, gigantic horns piercing the clear blue sky. We made even better time heading down into Ranger Lake and got to our camp at around 4 in the afternoon. It was when we got into the valley that I began to notice some odd things about Ranger Lake. The first lake was a clear contrast to this one. While Twin Lakes was a cacophony of bird chirps and other noises one would expect to hear in the wild, the path skirting the border of Ranger was oddly devoid of any animal noise. Furthering my uneasiness regarding this lake was the fact that in my 2 hour hike around the lake I couldn’t find any game trails, scat, or any other sign of animal life. That, and when camp was finally set up and the boys decided to go fishing they couldn’t catch anything… the lake was seemingly dead as well. We didn’t even see a single fish jump that night, or the next morning. However, that night the campfire was incredibly comforting and as we sat around and enjoyed each others company and shared our cases of the “altitoodies.” We will all remember the kung-pow chicken from that night, as it was some of the most revolting food I have forced down my throat (Which is saying a lot because those who know me, know that I really will eat just about anything). As the fire blazed on, one by one of the campers sauntered off to bed. I slept like a rock that night, partly due to Reid’s alleviating cough and partly because of my 12 inch Rambo knife snuggled nicely under my makeshift pillow of the shorts and whatever other clothes I wasn’t wearing to keep me warm.

Day 4

We had determined the previous night that Ranger Lake, although campfire friendly, was in almost every other way an utter disappointment. The resulting decision was to head back a day early. It ended up being more of a blitz back to the cars; up and down Sillman pass, a brief respite at Twin Lakes to recharge the batteries, then onwards and downwards to the end of the trail. After arriving at Lodgepole near 3pm we soon realized the holiday traffic would have been absolutely unbearable had we left the next day. There was a constant line of vehicles coming up the mountain only to be turned away at the entrance to the already packed campsite. Our last stop was at the beloved In N Out in Visalia, where we had to give them our order twice and they still got it wrong…

Hiking in the Sequoia’s was an incredible experience; one I won’t soon forget! Many thanks go out to Rod, Tony and John for letting me tag along; it was a blast!

VACATION :)

Family vacation is back!!! J J J

SAT. NIGHT

It was an evening of unbelievable beauty! The ocean air was full of the sound of surf, compelling a short evening walk beachside to watch the breakers roll up onto the shore. As the sun began to set, a soft bloomy dusk descended and the heat of the day diminished to the cool evening breeze. The sky was cloudless. The sea, driven obliquely into the curve of the bay, lay streaked before us various shades of blue; while silhouetted surfers speckled the water out just beyond the waves. The day’s high tide softly lapped the bottom of the staircase and we resigned to watch the sunset from the top of the stairs, where the view seemed to stretch into infinity. It takes zero effort to understand why we return every year...

DAY ONE

The absolutely gorgeous weekend weather seemed to beckon a sizeable part of southern California’s populace to their favorite beach spot; coaxing them to take advantage of their dwindling summer days. Inadequate streets were jammed with cars, the pavement overflowed with underdressed humanity and shops spilt over with sales on the summer’s remaining post-cards, sun-hats, sandals, and surfboards. The beach full was of children launching themselves onto boogie-boards or playing with their countless buckets and spades. For us, the day was spent sunning, reading and sleeping… J Appreciating the recent big swell atop our boogie-boards (at least for the most part) brought our first beach day to a close.

The giant sundae for mom’s belated birthday celebration was icing on the cake…

DAY TWO

Vacation mornings are my favorite! They are comprised of sitting in the sunshine, drinking endless amounts of fresh coffee at the large kitchen table, and my open Bible. As we claimed ample amounts of our day’s sand and set up the beach umbrellas, momma Jean noted the fog hovering out over the water’s edge. Within the hour a thick, misty haze rolled in and we accordingly buried our toes a little bit deeper into the warm sand. Then, with equal swiftness, a small breeze got up and blew the clouds away, leaving the ocean to sparkle beneath a pellucid blue sky.

Matt made the greatest guacamole ever and, I confess, made me fall in love all over again. Standing shirtless with his freshly tanned skin the kitchen of an empty house; nonchalantly tossing in the perfect combination of cilantro, lime, avocados and tasting faintly of salt… I fell in love all over again J

DAY THREE

With our dearest Uncle Rob and Aunt Vicky leading the way we happened upon a new killer beach spot, which we designated “the oasis” and continued to claim the rest of the week. All other beach-comers were definitely green with envy.

Uncle Rob took my new surfboard out for its maiden voyage, but he didn’t think attempting to stand up was a “worthwhile effort” and instead chose to ride the waves in on his belly, providing us with some excellent laughs. I mistakenly thought my new board would magically make surfing easy. While actually catching the waves was no problem, (courtesy of Matt) standing up and staying up = another story.

Best vacation dessert = Leucadia Pizzeria carrot cake!!!

After dinner Dan and Eric steered us to one of their favorite beaches, “Pipes” in San Elijo, to watch another incredible sunset. The tide was out, leaving the bay an arc of newly washed sand. We watched, in the calm, paling light, the sea turn shades of deep inky blue, till the sun dipped below the horizon. Leaving us to pile into the car, at the end of a wonderful day, sleepy from all the fresh air.

DAY FOUR

Following an overcast afternoon of shopping, we were surprised to find the beach seemingly empty and quite warm. The bright burning sun, which was scarcely tempered by a soft breeze, made dipping your toes into the icy Pacific quite refreshing. The tide was out, our inlet full of clean sand, seaweed and screaming seagulls. The bright blues of summer noticeably manifest against the white-capped ocean waves, everything dazzling in a glaring sunlight. Another day filled with rest and relaxation!!!

DAY FIVE

After downing “man-hole” sized pancakes at The Potato Shack (SO GOOD!), we felt it was in our best interest to peruse the shops of downtown Encinitas before planting our beach chairs seaside. I determined, despite the afternoon’s cooler air and water temperatures below sixty degrees, that it was finally time to try again with Moby, my recently purchased paddleboard (the last time it was in the ocean I almost died). It was comparatively easy to paddle out past the frothing white breakers and, after falling a few times, I found my balance and was beginning to actually enjoy paddling across the bay. Relaxing a bit more, I began to look around; to the left I could make out Matt who was watchfully pacing the shore in stride with my board; to the right, an endless stretch of sea; to the front, I did a double-take, my second glance confirming that two FINS were headed my way… FYI: I do not want to die by being torn apart by sharks. The only thing I could think about was our car ride where Matt recounted the surfer, who thirteen days prior, filmed two great white sharks with his own waterproof camera while paddleboarding off the coast of San Diego (the clip is on YouTube). I drop to my knees and freeze as the two fins continue to travel directly towards me. They veer to the left to avoid Moby and I’m now pretty sure the two fins are dolphins. My thought is confirmed as one comes up for air within arms distance and sprays me with water. Phew! Dolphins really are beautiful creatures, especially in the ocean.

Eager to be in front of the waves, rather than out beyond them, I high-tail it in where Matt and I act like we are ten and use the paddleboard as a surfboard. Fun!!!

Best vacation dinner = Sushi Do

DAY SIX

We loved the little donut shop a street down from us, some days even required two trips because we “needed” more…

The hazy morning didn’t dissuade me from riding my bike down to the Oceanside harbor where the tide was full and the harbor itself grey and choppy, fleeced with frothing white-breakers and boats bobbing rhythmically from the heavy swell running out beneath the pier.

Then, it was back to our patch of sand for a last perfect, full beach day where Chris’s sandcastles brought in quite the crowd (all week actually), young and old both stopping to peer into his various sand sculptures. Personally, I was a fan of the drip castles…

And we had the best ever beach farewell, which I suspect the Lord sent especially for Jean. What must seven or eight wild, free dolphins emerged from the brilliant, blue water; energetic and ready to play. They were pure fun to watch as they performed spectacular tail stands, somersaulted out of the water, leapt through waves and even executed their version of simultaneous topside 180’s. We strained our eyes to watch, till they eventually drifted off quietly into the endless blue.

I couldn’t think of a better way to conclude summer vacation.