A place for pondering the significant and not-so-significant happenings around me. A place for practicing my writing craft and interacting with my audience. A place to share and a place to care. My blog.
To say I'm enjoying my summer vacation would be an understatement. This has been one of my best summers ever, and I've had a lot of good summers.
Fathers' Day in Joshua Tree
I just finished my 13th year of teaching, and with teaching, comes a 10 week unpaid vacation. I have a summer saver account, so I cut my 10 month salary 12 ways, that way, I don't have to work during the summers. I've worked only about three summers in the last 13. I still stay busy, but I have very few time constraints during the summer.
Some summers I've traveled quite a bit, which made them special. But this one? I've stayed home. So what puts this summer in the top 5? Family.
A day hike to... a lovely rock pile!
The first two weeks of summer were spent winding down from school, plus giving the house and yards some attention. I like do to what I call "self-inflicted honey-do's." I also bought a Kindle and I've been doing a lot of reading in the yard. Sweet. (And, I helped my oldest daughter find a home to rent nearby.)
But on July 4th, all that rest and relaxation gave way to some serious summer fun: my daughter and her family arrived to begin a three week stay while they awaited their furniture's arrival from Maryland. Some might flinch at the thought of playing host to a family of six including twin toddlers, but we did the same thing last summer and loved it.
The three weeks flew by. The transition from empty nest to very full nest was helped by lawn chairs. We spent a lot of time in the yard, which supplemented the limited living space I call home.
Picnic among the boulders?
The pace of a young family is very different from that of a middle-aged couple, but Leslie and I embraced the changes joyfully. We are so happy that this summer "trip" won't end with a departure, but a relocation.
Earlier this week, the moving van arrived, and while we babysat, a new home was inaugurated! My sister and her family helped unload boxes. The move-in was accomplished in record time with few if any bumps. Wow.
So my summer seems to be forming into a three phase adventure: prepare for the Haans, host the Haans, and help the Haans adjust to their new home in lovely Fullerton, California.
Self-portrait, with feet.
Me? I got my computer room back: it was a boys' bedroom for most of the summer. So, now I even have time and access to write a blog entry or two.
For me, that includes Summer vacation. As much as I love teaching, I also love the time off... even in gigantic 10 week chunks.
What has made this a great summer so far has been the arrival of my oldest daughter and her family. I had enough time between the students' departure and the family's arrival to take care of most of the preparations for welcoming a family of six into our day-to-day world. The entourage of family includes my daughter, son-in-law, two girls (6 and 4), plus... twin boys (7 months)! Oh, yeah!
The boys, Danny and Jimmy are first time visitors to California and their arrival marked day 20ish of a family road-trip from Illinois to Maryland to California. Yikes!
After the long road trip, the Haan family was ready for some chill time and trying to get the small ones back on some sort of sleeping schedule. My wife and I have enjoyed lots of play-time with the kids, especially enjoying seeing the twins for the first time. Sometimes you think you're seeing double. It's very fun... and double the work. (This is where being a grandparent is a bonus. You can help all you want, but the late nights and crying kids are not really your direct worry.)
I've had to neglect reading everyone's blogs: too much action going on here, and my computer actually lives in the twins "bedroom." I did pen three or four entries over on my other blog, but that was mostly just to free my mind of the information and emotion. Blogging is a lot like journaling, which doctors recommend for relieving stress? Anyway, it's worked for me. I have a few more entries I want to do over there, but I can't totally neglect this blog! (This is my other baby.) ;-)
Hope each of you are enjoying your Summer beginnings, including better weather, more outside time, and a slower pace? (Or two out of three?)
School is almost out. The final week looms with the break of day. What then?
Visitors! (Woo-hoo!) The grand-kids are coming! The grand-kids are coming! (And their parents: that's sweet too.) ;-)
So, I'm doing some fixing, cleaning, emptying drawers and closets in preparation for the Haan clan of SIX: parents, two girls, and 6 month old twin boys!
Oh what fun at the Evans' compound. (It's a small compound, but we're all very flexible and happy to be together.)
So one more busy week... and then... Summer fun with family!
During a weekend trip to San Clemente, my wife and I set out on a short day trip just up the Southern California coast to a town called Dana Point. Named for Richard Dana, author of Two Years Before the Mast, the city boasts a lovely marina. Little did we know that there was a celebration going on: The Festival of the Whales.
Among the festivities of the weekend festival was an event for the fast growing sport of stand up paddling called the Mickey Muñoz Paddle Surf Fiesta. I snapped a few pictures. Just another lovely day in SoCal (in March).
Life is a dance, a balancing act, and a whirlwind. Lately, it seems to have had more of a whirlwind quality about it, especially at work. That's par for the course, but it makes weekend getaways a welcome reprieve.
Last Summer I planned ahead for some weekend trips. (Spontaneity is great, but planning ahead gets you a timeshare on the coast of Southern California.)
March 12th and 13th my wife and I took one of those planned trips. After a quick exit from work and a little packing, we made the easy 45 minute drive south the to a town called San Clemente. We stayed, for the second time, at San Clemente Inn in a timeshare unit. San Clemente Inn is nestled just off the freeway where it shares a back fence with San Clemente State Beach. Some people camp: we timeshare.
We arrived early enough in the evening to enjoy the changing view from our balcony. Over the brush that hides the camping sites of San Clemente, we caught a glimpse of the ocean, the clouds, and the sunset.
Mix in a bottle of wine, good conversation, (and no nagging household chores), and you have the start of our relaxing stay.
Life is a dance, a balancing act, and a whirlwind. This weekend was part of the balancing act. Ahh... come, share the view:
I grew up in Anaheim, California, just about one mile from Disneyland. Summer nights, we'd go out and stand at the end of the driveway and watch the fireworks. Back then, they went off at 9 pm. Nowadays, I'm closer to five miles from Disneyland, and I can hear the fireworks... 9:30 pm, almost every night.
I'm glad I live in California, but I'm a bit surprised that I do.
Somewhere in my mid-teens I concluded that all the world wasn't like Orange County. Disneyland is called "The happiest place on earth." The track of homes I grew up in each had a tile on the front porch that said, "Enchanted Homes." Somehow, it didn't seem quite real -- not quite true. I was all about truth... so I decided to do some traveling when the chance came.
My first big trip (not counting childhood trips to Iowa, Arizona and Washington) was a month long road trip up the West coast. I was in my first or second year of college. It was summer and a guy I kind of knew from high school was looking for someone to join him on a road trip. He had the car. We bought a large, four man tent, and started up the coast. We worked the state parks all the way up into British Columbia, Canada.
We met lots of interesting people, saw some beautiful places, and spent two days in Legget, California waiting for a new radiator. Good times. I also remembering driving back into the LA area during a smoggy rush hour. And you know what? We were glad to be "home."
My next road trip was a year or two later. I took a year off of college. My friend Craig and I drove my Fiat as far as Council Bluff, Iowa. That's where the engine died. We had hiked the Grand Canyon, camped in the Rockies, and sang at the top of our lungs to Chuck Berry on the open road.
I had enough money to fix the car and head home, or... sell the car and hitch-hike the rest of the way. I opted for "sell the car." We wish we'd done it sooner. Our first 8 or 9 rides were like a traveling party. Not only did people give us rides, they took us into their homes. (Yes, we did spend one night under some bushes along the river, but... hey.) In Pennsylvania, the people who had picked us up, lent us their tent and they slept in their van because it was raining. I still remember seeing several deer standing on a slope leading to a fog covered river the next morning. Good times.
Our trip ended in Long Island where Craig had lived until he was ten. Later, we hitched down to Cape Cod (Chatham) where we spent a couple of weeks with some high school buddies. Our only "appointment" on the trip was a Halloween party in Norwood, Mass. In Norwood, we almost rented a house with some girls I knew from California. I had worked at 31 Flavors with one of them. At the last minute, our plans fell through. I decided to take the bus home (a three day, mind-numbing trip) while Craig traveled to Vermont where he nearly starved due to a lack of jobs. (No snow.)
Once I got home, in late November, I remember putting on a light jacket, my flip-flops, and taking a walk in the park. Ahhh... California.
The last big road trip of my youth was a month long trek from Anaheim to Orlando to Nova Scotia to Spokane (and the World's Fair.) The trip went full circle back to Anaheim. That too was a trip to remember. Many places, many people, many states.
After all this exploration, one would think I might have ended up somewhere else. I really thought I would, and I did, sort of. I moved five miles north to Fullerton.
What happened? After all my wanderings I got reacquainted with God. One day I prayed, "O Lord, I'll live anywhere you want me to live." Within six months I found a new home... five miles north. I've been here ever since.
For years I simply thought God had a good sense of humor. Now, I think He just had good sense.
Over the last decade, my wife and I have traveled in many of the US states as well. We did a month long road trip from Fullerton to Mason City, Iowa. We took the southern route on the way there, and the northern route on the way back. We saw the sights of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, (Nebraska), and Iowa. We followed the Lewis and Clark trail west after visiting Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, eventually hitting the Pacific Coast at the Columbia River. Then we took Highway One south, all the way to San Francisco visiting the Oregon Coast, the coastal Redwoods, and Mendicino. We traveled the 101 from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then 30 miles south to Fullerton.
Each place had its own charms, but our own home and locale seems to have a magic which captures us more and more each time we return.
I think Joni Mitchell, a Canadian, captured some of the magic in her song: California. (Enjoy!)
Here's some final pictures of last weekend's mini-vacation.
The train is Amtrak's Coaster. Between LA and San Diego in straddles the coast and affords many picturesque views.
The van and picnic table are at Capistrano State Beach. Just a couple of couples enjoying the sun and fun.
The volleyball courts, basketball courts, and such are pictures taken out the car window as we traveled north on PCH through Laguana Beach on the drive home. Late Fall at the beach in So Cal means less people, but still plenty to see and do.
This week-end we're back at home. The lawns are still growing, but at a slower pace. I'm going to get to wear one of my long-sleeved work shirts! (It's cool enough.)
Capistrano Beach is kind of like an airport: lots to see.
The ocean view offers flocks of seagulls, pelicans fishing, and people walking.
Turn around and watch the joggers, the bikers, and even an occasional train.
It's enough to inspire a person to hang out, relax, and watch the world go by. All this plus the sounds and smells of the beach. (Did I mention 73 degree weather?)
I've had lots of jobs growing up, traveled in a lot of the US states, and had lots of experiences in life. None of them define me, but they have all refined me.
