Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Holiday Art Fair



An overview of the hall and vendors of our Second Annual Holiday Art Fair.



Ann Larkin's jewelry is simply fantastic, and she did very well tonight. Judith, knowing that our Christmas is a little thin this year, gave me $40 to purchase a gift for myself. I made a beeline for Ann's display and found a gorgeous crystal and gold bracelet that I adore. She does more than just string beads; she cuts and polishes the crystals and cuts the stones and other materials she uses in her remarkable pieces.



Another jeweler shows her work as well -- all very nice.



Another of Margo's incredible art pieces.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Smashing Pumpkins

Smashing pumpkins is one of our family traditions. On the weekend after Halloween, the kids (usually with Keith joining in) smash our jack o' lanterns with unabashed glee. They hold this family tradition out in the meadow behind out house where the little animals can enjoy the pumpkin pieces to their little hearts content.



T always enthusiastically smashes the pumpkins each fall, especially with his dad's Toothy Jack up for destruction....



Keith can't resist joining in with the kids. Here he prepares to fling his jack o'lantern as high as possible. To the kids' delight, Jack flies high against the beautiful sunset then splatters spectacularly on the compacted dirt of the meadow path.



All four kids come together in a huddle to deconstruct their personal Jacks. Poor Vampire Jack and California Jack are splattered around the meadow to become squirrel food....



B doesn't want to destroy his Vampire Jack at first, but he soon joins in the mayhem....

Friday, October 26, 2007

Smoke Gets in Our Eyes....

Further photos from the Harris Fire still burning in the East County portion of San Diego:



I took this from the sidewalk in front of the kids' favorite pet shop in Alpine.

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E took this while we were driving east on Interstate 8, just before exiting into Alpine.



We made a quick stop at the View Point just east of Alpine/Viejas to get this photo looking down through the mountains toward the ocean. Usually a glimpse of the blue sea can be spotted from this overlook; today it's mostly smoke and haze from the week of fires....

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Pumpkin Patch....



Mini-pumpkins are so cute!



B tumbles off his disc and down the hill of fluff while "sledding."



Some of the dairy cows....



The boys carefully choose their own "jack" pumpkins.



Some of the decorations and "for sale" pumpkins available ... I like the background here, too.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Sailing....



The sails of our rented Coronado 27 (27-feet long).



My dad and brother love sailing with the family. We had a couple of tricky tacks, but they're pros.



T took his turn at the helm as well.



A small portion of the downtown San Diego skyline ... our view the entire time we were sailing.

Sailing...



As we sailed under the Coronado Bridge, a navy destroyer followed us into the harbor.



Elizabeth enjoys the view from the back of the sailboat.



J at the helm as we motored back after much tacking with tricky winds.



We sailed past the Midway Navy Museum, as did another sailboat. On a weekday, only a few sailboats are usually sailing about which makes it lovely and relaxing.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

More Town Festival....



A long line of fire trucks from around the east county....



This medieval dude saw me snapping photos and cheerfully posed for me.



Judith enjoys free barbecued ribs which were given out by a local restaurant to advertise their new grill. She's a fascinating woman: an accomplished poet, a gifted photographer and artist, with a heart for sharing Christ and art with others. She delights in sparking people's passions and in serving the community. Judith wears many hats in our small town (co-editor of the newspaper, associate director of the arts council, member of the town council, volunteer in the public school, etc.), and I am fortunate in counting her as one of my dearest friends.



B and J pet a miniature horse just outside of our arts booth. My kids rode their bikes, scooters, and skateboards all over town today, rubbing elbows with friends and neighbors and enjoying every second of our town festival.



This is one row of our crafters area. I was particularly attracted to the lovely jewelry, especially by Ann Larkin, who has been one of our art council's Featured Artists. And the tea booth called my name; Judith treated me to some Apricot Tea that smells absolutely heavenly! Without the rodeo this year, business was rather slower than in the past, but overall it was a very fun but tiring day.