The Best Audience in the World!

We were sipping our cups of caffeine before heading south to visit the grandkids, when the phone rang. It was Lee's daughter with a request. She wondered if Grandma Cindi would like to be the Guest Reader in Chandler's second grade class. Mike, her husband, was scheduled to read; but, they wondered if I wanted to read my story "Sadie, the Lady Bug" that I wrote for Carrington, their daughter, when she was three. Of course, my answer was a big loud, "YES!"

Three hours later we were on the road with 25 copies of "Sadie, the Lady Bug" coloring books. As Lee drove, Grandma Cindi colored a book for show and tell.

There is not an audience in the world, not even the Idaho Songwriters Association Forum (and they are good), match an audience of second graders when one of their own has a parent or grandparent come to read. I felt like a Rock Star! I was so touched when Chandler came in, after being the door holder for the class coming back from recess (a high honor), with his big smile shining towards me. If you ever wonder whether you make a difference in someone's life, just be the guest reader of your grandchild's class.

It didn't matter that I only colored with crayons and markers. It didn't matter that my story wasn't perfect and that it needs a serious re-write from 15 years ago. It didn't matter that my artwork also needed re-work. What mattered was Chandler had his grandparents and his parents present in his classroom. What mattered was the lovely, attentive, young audience.

No, I don't think my heart could have been any fuller or the honor ever greater.

That's our grandson in the green shirt next to the guy with KITE on his back.

More blob creatures.

More blobs...the animals on the right are watercolor and colored pencil. The right ones are collaged pieces of paper with a Sharpie pen.

It helps me to take a photo and then see it on the screen. It gives me a different view and somehow even looks better than in person.

Oh, yes, that is my evening Gin & Tonic in the upper left corner. :)

How do you cook 'em?

We found two of these huddling under a sagebrush on one of our walks. Many of their kind were smashed to smithereens. We just wondered, how do you cook 'em?

Mar 5 More blobs....

Almost done.

Blobimal Book Next Lesson

Next lesson in my Blobimal Book class. Who knew such creatures lurked in blobs?!

Blob-imal Book

I signed up for a "Blob-imal Book" online class with Carla Sonheim. She is a wonderful artist, has published books and gives these on-line classes either herself or other great artists. The class started on December 1 and was 3 weeks long. Whatever was I thinking when I signed up for it? I mean, December 1?! I must have had too much caffeine that day. But, the good thing is I can take the class, now, I am just not doing it with other students.

I have taken a class from Carla before. Her style isn't mine, but her methods make my creative brain work outside my comfort zone.

First, lesson prepare paper to use for the books and do what she calls "blob" drawings. You basically scribble on a paper and then look for the animals.

Adaptation

Who knew when I made this spoon necklace that it would be apropos to me?! Adapt was a word I came up with because the alphabet beads I have have been so picked over that it was the only word I could come up with. (Note to self....buy more alphabet beads.)

It has been over 40 years since I broke a bone, my third time with a broken collar bone back in seventh grade. In fact, almost all my accidents have never really inconvenienced me...until now. Fortunately, not much pain, but inconvenient. Here is what I cannot do without a left hand, even though on that hand do have an opposable thumb and two usable fingers.

• Play guitar. However, we are going to try some slide guitar which will be a new, fun thing to learn anyway.
• Wash dishes because I can't get the cast wet. Not a biggy, I have an electric dishwasher and a husband-dishwasher. However, the husband-dishwasher has been sick which means the pans, etc., sit for a while until he is up to doing them and it drives me crazy!
• Open cans with a can opener.
• Open jars that are stuck or not opened before.
• Ride a bicycle.
• Easily put on my seat belt...it takes some time and undoing it is just as difficult.
• Wash my hair.
• Shave under my right arm.
• Eat away from the table, which is fun to do on Friday nights. :)

Surprisingly, the things I can do:

• Pull up my pants.
• Tie my shoes.
• Type with one finger of the left hand and the full right hand.
• Unpack and do laundry.

So, I am adapting, painting, starting to put my new songs in music form with the help of a computer program. And, actually sitting down in my rocker in the sun that shines through the window and sip tea and read. Life is good.

Vaya Con Dios, Ocean Beach!

I was up early this morning. First, listening to the fog horns from way in the distance around the point from Ocean Beach. Then, came the crows. Then, the green parrots. Yes, flocks of parrots that fly over every morning and every evening. More raucous than the crows or jaybirds or seagulls all put together. It took me two days to figure out it wasn't someone pushing a very, loud and a very, squeaky cart down the alley. Now, the planes are flying overhead and the traffic will soon begin to hum. Sunny, southern Cal is waking up.

Today, though, is moving day for our dog, Nanni, and her humans. We're headed to the one place that recharges my batteries to completely full-up: Valley of Fire. Nanni has handled well all our different houses: beginning with our home in Boise, which was new to her on November 21; the hotel room in Winnemucca; the tent in San Simeon State Park; the house on Benson Street in Cambria; the Howers' home in Santee; and our little bungalow in Ocean Beach. She probably thinks we live on the lam.

Now, she will get to try out the 'little house', our trailer, in Valley of Fire. Based on our other canines feelings, this home will be magical.

So, here is one last look down the little walkway to the door of our Ocean Beach home.

Hang Ten, Ocean Beach and Ms Darlene, Hannah, the Bates Motel and our landlords Steve and Linda, the People's Market and Dog Beach. Peace....  :)

The "Hood...

As Nanni and I take her morning constitutional each day we have met some interesting people. Of course, two were, of course, gardeners. Compliment a gardener on her garden and you get to know them right away.

First, was Hannah, who walks the big black dog next door twice a day. She said that she used to put precious things in her garden, but they always disappeared. So, now, she picks up things she finds on her walks.

And, I had a delightful conversation with Ms Darlene. She has rented the same house for 40 years and gardened there for 20. She helps neighbors grow their gardens giving them hints and cuttings. She said it isn't that she knows so much as much as the fact that she has killed everything at least once and sometimes twice.

As a gardener...

I have to say that there are some of the most imaginative, decorative gardens in this little neighborhood.

Where Nasturtiums grow wild and huge!

A Non-Gardener's Nightmare

If you didn't like gardening, this could be a nightmare of a place to live! Look at these weeds that grow, like, well, weeds!

A Gardening Mecca

If you are a gardener, living in San Diego is living in heaven. Everything that grows, grows here. If you are not a gardener, it could be a nightmare. Here are photos of a gardener's paradise; later I will post photos of the nightmare.

This is not a store or nursery, this is someone's front yard.

Defining Funky

To define my word Funky for this cute little community we are living in, I think maybe the word "eclectic" is even a better word. Here are photos taken on our walk to dog beach. The place has personality to say the very least.

Funky Town

So, this part of our vacation is being brought to us by the word, Funky. I looked up the definition and besides a foul odor, it is a jazzy, bluesy earthy style of music. Well, I define it as an eclectic, earthy, unique...you know funky. I will follow with ohotos I have taken on our walks, but we started this segment of our hiatus with an evening at Java Joe's. It is a coffee house where the owner brings in a lot of local musicians and songwriters for concerts. Jewel got her start here.

The artist we heard is Gregory Paige. A very eclectiv songwriter musician who writes his own stuff and does other 20's-30's music. Great show, very talented man.

Not the best photos, but I only have a DumbPhone. ;)

Birds of a feather...

We are within walking distance of a dog beach that runs along where the San Diego river runs into ocean. Everyday we walk with Nanni and all the other dogs and their people. Besides being a place where Nanni can wild, it is a mecca for bird watching. Just a sampling of what we have seen....Long-beaked Curlews, lots of Marbled Godwits, flocks of Black-bellied Plovers and Avocets in their winter plummage, Egrets large and small, Great Blue Heron, Northern Pintail ducks, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, Scaups, hundreds of gulls, and even flocks of escapee Parrots that are more raucous than crows.

But, on our walk home we saw a couple birds peeking over the bushes at us. Birds of a different feather and easier to catch in a photo.

Sisters

I watched these female elephant seals as they snuggled up together and the first word that came to mind to describe them was, 

"Sisters."

Home again, home again, home again....

We are not afraid.

Nanni is a bit confused about where exactly we live. Our third home (Boise, Cambria being the first two), was in Santee with the Howers. Lots of laughs, music, a new drum and talk, talk, talk.

Time keeps ticking and we needed to move on to our new digs. The sign above did not slow us down. Okay, maybe made us stop and smile. The owners' last name is Bates. We entered by the front gate and walked along the side of their house, through a smaller gate and came to our own private little patio. The apartment, or bungalow, has a bathroom, our own washer and dryer, a kitchen/living area and a bedroom. It is located in funky, old-surfer-dude Ocean Beach. I'll have more to say and show about that later.

But, for now, we are settled into Nanni's fourth home. She seems to take it in stride, except for last night. We had dinner at the Hower's and were heading back to Ocean Beach and I said to Nanni, "Want to go bye-bye? Want to go home?" She turned her head and looked at me with a question, "I thought we were home."

On the road again.....

One Last Photo from Cambria

We are sad to leave Cambria and our beloved Benson Street. But, the Sunny Southern Cal awaits us along with our dear friends. Can't wait to get there and catch up sipping tea in the room!

A Congress of Proper Decorum

I see them everywhere I go at home, in the southwest, in the northwest. A big, dark bird soaring high on warm, thermal air. It turns just so and you see the silver lining on the wings....a vulture. A common sight. Here on the central coast of California, where the pickins' must be delectable and numerous, there is almost a vulture on every fencepost. I have become fascinated with them since a few years back when there was a dead elephant seal on the beach and we watched a 'congress' of vultures feeding on the carcass. Patience being their game, this was not like watching the "Mine-Mine-Mine" of the seagulls. These mannerly vultures, took turns feeding without noise or pushing or butting in line. With as much grace and dignity as they soar through the skies, they stood in line at the buffet.

Pure Joy

Watching her makes me smile and sometimes giggle when she shares her own pure joy and happiness. I think that is one reason I love dogs.