Rain in San Diego!

This morning around 8:00am, I thought I heard rain...but I looked out our window and the sky was blue with some far off white clouds to the West. Then the rain started falling in big round fat plops and it was truly raining in San Diego. It lasted about 30-45 seconds. I got up to take a photo and by the time I walked down the stairs to my camera the rain had stopped. I took a photo of the wet sidewalk anyway! I knew it wasn't just mist from fog because you could smell that wet asphalt smell that comes with rain. There was even some thunder that we heard, but didn't see any lightening. Sure wish we'd get more than a few seconds worth of water as we are entering fire season.



The last time we had any precipitation in San Diego was March 16, 2008. I remember because this is my sister in law Manya's birthday, and my friend Lisa's birthday. They got water in the desert for their gifts. I got out of bed to photograph that because it was a really rare moment in weather in San Diego. It covered the ground completely. It was about 4 in the morning.



I like this second photo because it shows the action of the hail falling to the ground.

Shawna's New Do

Last night, after driving school, I took Shawna to her favorite restaurant to get her favorite Caesar Salad. Here she is with her friend drinking Emergen-C because they both feel a little under the weather. Not sure if it is allergies or a cold, so this is precautionary. Notice her hair in this photo. Long, grown out Mohawk.

Today, after Phil picked her up from school, she went into the bathroom and closed the door. Nothing weird there...then came the sound of the buzz cutter...

After awhile I was curious so I went in to check out her new do and this is what I saw...her sitting on her bed doing algebra with a shaved head. She looks gorgeous, but she won't look at the camera.



I really want a photo because our friend and honorary Auntie Annalisa is in Switzerland and feels left out and asked me to send a photo...nope.



She was being a punk so I put the camera in her face to try to get her to relent...all in good and goofy funness of course...this is what I got.

You see, we've been having this good natured family disagreement about Senior Portraits. We want her to have them done and she is adamant about not getting them done, so this all plays in to it.

A little while later she came out and asked me for a ride at 4:30. I told her no because she wouldn't give me a picture, she was fairly shocked because I always say yes. She went back into her cave and shut the door. Hmmmm. I could tell she was plotting. She came out and had lunch with us and we all bantered around about Senior Portraits. She suggested that I should like to have a photo of her in her natural habitat instead of in a sterile studio, to which Phil quipped..."then give her a photo here!" I told her we could hire one of the three photographers that live on our street to have her portrait taken in her natural habitat, but she wasn't really going for it.

After lunch she allowed me to take a few shots in weird places and didn't give me any time to take a proper photo...those are the next three shots. You'd think if she just stayed still for five seconds the pain and suffering on her part would be over...but no, she continued to give me a hard time.







As she and Phil and Value left, I decided to be a pain of an adult and followed her as if I were the paparazzi. Snapping shots off as often as my camera battery would allow.


Isn't she pretty?


This is the final one...I think it is hilarious and reminds me of my own teenaged angst when my parents wouldn't leave me alone about something that I didn't think mattered...to me anyway. Because as a teenager, isn't it all about ME? You can see that Phil, in the background, is quite amused with his two girls.


And just because she was being such a little punker, here is a photo of her when she was about 13 with black hair. At this time she had a boyfriend and wanted me to take photos, and actually posed, but now she is too cool for that action! Gotcha!



Love you girl!

Impromptu Neighborhood Ice Cream Social

Tonight Phil and I had the honor of baby sitting our good friends' two toddlers, Sarah and Shawn. We have been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks. We live in a wonderful neighborhood with six kids from two families and we all played together and had brownies and ice cream. Here are some action shots of our evening together...it turned out we had eight children from two and half to ten years old, and seven adults, only two of them being parents of any of the kids. It was an awesome evening.


Here Black Ninja Girl chases Toddie around the car...


Steven watches Shawn hit a home run!


The kids all bounce around on the trampoline like unsecured luggage in the belly of an airplane.


We looked at and later fed the beautiful, furry legged spider living next to my front porch.


Can you believe I took this photo of Melia and me while there were five other kids bouncing on the trampoline? That's a steady hand for you!


Phil, the Potions Master, sits as the children make their "poison potions" with water, soap, glitter paint and THIN sticks, not fat ones!


Phil and Melia smiling big for the camera!


The poison banana potion...we didn't have an apple...a banana had to do. Check out that glitter paint!


Farmer Girls in Glittery Dresses! Oh yeah!


And last but not least, I did my best to get a complete group photo but, well, that was like herding cats, so I was happy with this cute photo.

We are blessed to live in a wonderful neighborhood where we know all of our neighbors and love them dearly. What a wonderful Friday night we all had together!

~ The soul is healed by being with children ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

It's been a Loooong time...

Alot has happened since I last wrote on this blog.

May 6, 2006 Phil and I were married and I created all of the flowers for corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets, table center pieces, wedding arch, etc. Here's proof! We deputized Sonny Angel, owner of Sonny Angel Motorcycles in National City/San Diego, CA to perform the marriage ceremony. He is an inspirational man and has always been a huge supporter of our union. We had a fantastic day!

In early January 2007, I welcomed a new studio cat into the world of Curious Creek Fibers, his name is Mr. Cosworth Motors, AKA Rocket Boy or Roo. The first two photos are him when he was about 10-15 weeks old, and the third one, he is sitting with our friend and neighbor, Ryan summer 2008. Cosworth is a big boy now!

December 16, 2007, Phil and I took in a wonderful young lady and our lives have been immensely enriched. Shawna is a senior this year and has a kitten of her own. His name is Value and he brings a lot of that to her life! Here is Shawna modeling a Lucy Neatby pattern for her Faroese Flower Shawl made in Curious Creek Fibers Omo yarn. She's a wonderful young woman and she has brought a lot of Value to our lives as well.

December 27, 2007, my Daddy went to sleep and didn't wake up. The weather for his funeral was exactly how I was feeling inside. Blustering loud wind and driving rain and sleet during the funeral and graveside service. Then the quiet of snow all afternoon during his wake, the quiet of him being gone, no more conversation, just quiet.

I sure do miss the old cowboy.

This is a photo taken in 1972.

That's all for now folks. I am endeavoring to journal more often as I find my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. Did you know you can get your blog made into a book? I think that is neat and I know I will appreciate it when I am old. er.