I'm not picky...

...about my water sports!

A long time comin'

I've been dying to take my new surfboard out!
And this weekend, I finally had the chance.
I just love it when company comes into town to visit. It's like a mini vacation!

A day at the Museum

The New Children's Museum
San Diego, CA
Where else can you...
Scale a rock wall...
Dress up like a pretty princess...
Blow bubbles beyond your wildest imagination...
Paint a car ?!? ...
Test out your newly-built race car on the track...
Construct a city...
Crash-tumble into a pile of pillows.

Practicing for a Mock Battle

You never know what you'll come across in this great city of ours!
While playing host & hostess to visiting friends, Tom & Corrie from Colorado, Corrie and I, who are always up for random adventures, made our way over to Shelter Island to view these 2 tall ships. "Lady Washington" (famous for being in the movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl") and "Hawaiian Chieftain"(a replica built in 1988) are currently docked in San Diego for touring. Throughout the weekend, the 2 ships will be engaging in mock battles on the San Diego Bay. We were just lucky enough to catch them practicing the day before and although we didn't get to hear the cannons boom or the puffs of smoke pouring forth, seeing these ships up close, I sure have a better appreciation of what a sailor's life was like!

Noble Canyon

The Big Dawgs - as Coined by Tira

Creature Comforts

Some of you have asked how I was doing while Sean was out fighting the fires. Let me recount for you...
I arrived at a family member's house a little before midnight the night the fires started, to find 4 cousins and one uncle sound asleep and an aunt that greeted me at the door with open arms. Now, mind you, this house is not far from Ramona and I had seen this same neighborhood get evacuated during the last fire. So with my adrenaline pumping from a quick drive from Arizona to S.D. (at a pace that a cop might frown upon had there been any cops with attention toward anything other than the fires) and nothing to do but worry which made for an interesting night! I watched tv, (flipping from channel to channel) texted friends (admitting that I was safe but still nervous) listened to the radio (in case all the channels on tv could possibly be missing something that I might need to know about!) and laid on the couch. Somewhere about 3:00 in the morning I had to calm my nerves and changed the channel to some strange tv show about bears in the wild. I ended up falling asleep with "one eye open" (to keep an eye on the large hill just outside the back door that seemed just right for a fire to sweep down it) and one ear still listening to the radio and awoke about an hour later to hear a man on the radio with the same name as my husband's. He sounded panicked and frantic and stated his location was near our house and my heart was racing. He said he just barely got out of his house (heart racing faster than ever before now!) ...with his children. I instantly had to stop myself, because we do not have children and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Sean would not panic in such a situation and neither should I at that moment in time. I honestly am not sure if it was a dream/nightmare and my mind was playing tricks on me, or if there really was a man named Sean on the radio, but I knew that I had to control my mind so I would not freak out! It was hard to find things to distract my mind from the fires that night, but one thing I have learned is that it is nice to have some of your own creature comforts with you when in an emergency. And so came the purchase of this adorable bag by babyduckies pictured below. Everything about it says comfort to me. The adorable outer fabric and its coordinating inner fabric are just perfect. They would look adorable all sewn up into a quilt and so now I feel as though I have a little quilt with me. It now holds some essentials - a toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant and my own soap- and will stay in my truck because this isn't the first emergency we've been caught up in and it probably won't be the last.

Junior Firefighters

Hmmm...which firefighter is being more productive?

Back in the Saddle, Again

Pictured above is the back side (or is it the front side?...) of our favorite trail. We intended to ride this trail yesterday to see how bad the damage is, but it will have to wait for another day. Also on the list of currently unrideable trails is Lake Hodges. The fire ripped down through this canyon following the water and winding its way close to the ocean. So, we made do with a trail that was dubbed, "not exactly perfect" and included, among other things, crawling under the freeway and riding through a nursery, down a fire road and past a dead coyote. It actually turned out to be a great ride! What you can't see from the picture below are the 25 other people that were with us on the ride. But rest assured, I could always find my husband in the pack up ahead with his lime green jersey and red shorts!

Rest for the Weary

Sean, sleeping in the back of his truck, on top of fire hoses, next to a safety cone, at midnight. I think this pic speaks for itself.

Total Strangers

No, this isn't our house, but that of a total stranger.
While our town and surrounding areas were being evacuated, we rushed home from Arizona to grab a handful of things from our home that would be hard to live without. Well, let me clarify, my husband rushed into our home and rushed over to be of aid to any family members that might be in peril and throughout the next 2 nights, rushed to the aid of total strangers. Some, he met face to face, and some will never know who it was that "intruded" onto their property to fight back the raging fires. It must be a harrowing experience to return home from your evacuation to find a gate swung wide open, to find your property different than what you left it and to know that someone was there doing good and wondering what could have happened had they not stopped.
But the house above, occupied by an older husband and wife doing all they could to fight back the fire with their garden hoses, was one that my husband happened upon and was able to meet these so-called strangers. Accompanied by more strangers, met in a time of peril, these good citizens had rented a pump truck specifically to fight the fires. As you can see from the picture above with its charred hills and burnt trees, the fire would likely have overtaken the house. This is just one of the many battles fought and won.

Still Standing

Thank you to everyone for your emails, phone calls, text messages and prayers.
Fires are still burning in Southern California, but we are back in our home after 1 week. I have stories to tell, thoughts to share, pictures to post and a thankful heart for brave souls willing to risk their lives or help a neighbor whether it's their job or not.

Night Riding - Part 2

They say Mission Trails is a good spot for bird watching, but never did I expect one to "jump" out of the bushes and fly around erratically in front of us. This large-bat-type-thing or small bird-looking-creature (it didn't quite look like that thing pictured above, but you get the idea!) just loved being in the spotlight -literally- and made sure to stay in the bike lights so we could see it. So, in typical fashion, Sean took off after it, it veered to the sidelines, got confused once it was out of our lights and I'm pretty sure it intended to double back around and come after us - well me in particular! But since it was behind us and no longer in our lights, I guess it gave up. Whew! Just another adventure with the boys.

Can we please go home now?

When one starts out on a trail with the word, "Mount, Mountain" or any other such word denoting a large obstacle, there is only one way to go when you are at the bottom of it - UP! There were more sections that I had to push my bike up than I care to admit and a few points at which I even had to pick up my bike to carry it over the rocks, but the reward was well worth it! The downhill single track on the back side of the mountain was spectacular and I think this was the funnest ride I've ever been on! Ironically enough, it dumped us out into the "leisurly" path I had spotted the week before when I accompanied my dad golfing. So at that point, we just rode home! And now we have a new favorite ride right down the street from us!
And in case you are wondering, no, we did not ride up or down the rocks you see pictured above. This was our, "I give," turnaround point!

Night Rider

Rather than take a leisurely ride around the golf course yesterday, I got the invitation to ride with the boys on their weekly night ride around Lake Poway! As the trail wound up and down, back and forth, I felt like a little kid on Halloween running through the woods with a flashlight! Exhilarating? Yes. Cold? Yes. A little on the spooky side? Uh huh! But that's all part of the fun. Although, it's never a good feeling when I have to yell out in front of me, "Are you guys over here?" Luckily our lights are never too hard to spot on a dark night with no moon in sight-well except when my light goes out! Note to self: keep the ride under 1 hour next time! Must learn to pedal faster!
Photo courtesy of NiteRider.

Somewhere between the 2nd hole and 3rd tee

There's a golf course out here, you say? Yep, that's right, you're looking at a golf course. The outdoors, and sports, I love, but golf, not so much. My dad, however, loves it and after a quick mountain biking ride in the morning, with tense legs, I was eager to relax and accompany him in the golf cart on one of the most amazing courses in San Diego. We live a mere 5 minutes away from this course, and I never had any idea how beautiful and charming it is. The first picture is the bridge we drove over to get to the third hole. A little bit scary, but charming, at the same time. The 2nd picture is looking back toward the bridge we just drove over-this view makes the bridge a little more scary and perhaps a little less charming! The picture below is a shot of the 2nd tee. Each hole is carved beautifully right into this little canyon. I just might have to ride my bike up there today, to take a better look around!

Biker Buddy in Training

Who's up next?

Now Go Get it Dirty!

I just love the blogging community. You never know who you might come across that might be an inspiration to you! I came across Ginger's blog the other day and was so excited to see another crafty woman that likes to ride a mountain bike. I commented on her blog and invited here to come check out the pics of my new bike and she left this comment, "Looks like a nice ride. Now go get it dirty!" I love it - and I did! On Sunday my husband and I met some friends at Anderson Truck Trail, just outside San Diego. At the top of the trail we could see all the way to downtown San Diego and Point Loma. It was a gorgeous day filled with great friends and a challenging, but fun ride. I'm ready for more!
Although I did bring my camera, the battery ran out. I "borrowed" the pic above from this website so you could get an idea of what the trail looks like. Although it was nowhere as green as this yesterday, it was still beautiful!

Who's Winning?

Yep-that's me zipping right past the boys! My nephew, Robby, was promised a few rounds of go-karts with Uncle Sean and we all had a blast. Apparently, Robby wants to be Jeff Gordon for Halloween! Too cute.

My new bike

My sweet husband just can't pass up a good deal and I am now the lucky recipient of a brand spankin' new bike!

Just part of my daily bike ride

You can just barely see the baby poking his head up above the grass!
Tomorrow I'll post some pics of my new bike!

The Big Red Barn

Yes, it's true. I do live in red barn country. Not only are there a few right outside my window, but a few times a year The Big Red Barn puts on a Country Folk Art Sale. Everything about this place is wonderful-the smells, the sights, the sounds. Various craft and antique vendors display their wares in the big red barn and on it's all-encompassing porch. The grounds are filled with beautiful walkways with flowers that seem to pop up out of nowhere and fragrant herbs that fill the air. People are "busy" eating fresh kettle corn and enjoying each other's company. It's a beautiful way to spend an afternoon, and the next sale is set for November 15, 16 and 17th. The location is 15175 Highland Valley Road, Escondido, CA, if you just happen to be in the area!

Ooops! Sean gets too close to the shark!

Humiliated

We were no more than 2 feet from shore, when he fell in. 5 minutes - he couldn't even last 5 minutes before he was sopping wet! My favorite part of the day came when the onlookers from the shore clapped when Sean was able to haul the dog back into the kayak without tipping over! His "accident" (I'm not entirely sure he didn't try to jump out) sure put a damper on the evening as he continually tried to stand up so he could shake himself off in the kayak. I haven't read the owner's manual yet, but I'm sure wiggling around, shaking back & forth and circling around & around before you sit down is not recommended in a long, skinny and somewhat unstable kayak! And to make matters worse, my new kayak was not in proper working order!

How could we not?

How could we not use our new kayak the first chance we got? It proved to be a very profitable evening as I became the paddler, negotiating us between buoys & shorelines, boats & piers. We cruised around Mission Bay, near Sea World, where we saw penguins and enthusiastic tourists riding the skytram overhead that wanted to see what the heck we were doing. I tried to oblige each passenger by waving while paddling and Sean was more than happy to hold up his trophy for the skytram passengers that yelled, "Hey Canoe-eeey!" 10 fish were caught, in all, but 9 released back to their home. The one we kept: a spotty bass, I'm told. Surely, there will be many more to come as we were able to appreciate the quietness of a warm summer evening in the middle of a big city.

This is turning out to be...

...one fantastic summer!!!
There is nothing quite like getting up at 3 am to support a husband's love of fishing! My husband and I have been talking about how fun it would be to own a kayak for years now. With our recent fishing adventure in Mammoth last month and our even-more-recent sport fishing adventure off La Jolla last week, Sean's love of fishing has been rekindled. So, he decides he wants to enter a kayak fishing tournament to see if it is something he would enjoy. He spends a few hours on the water fishing for the tournament with nothing more to show than a tale of catching a Baracuda (the wrong type of fish) and a seasick stomach! As we sit on the La Jolla shore watching the hordes of tourist kayakers try to make their way out past the break water with the swells getting increasingly bigger, we feel inclined to join them! So, he and I hop in our one person specially-rented-just-for-this-tournament-kayak and head out. We are laughing and enjoying each other's company as we head over to "the caves." I've always heard about "the caves" but could never really understand what all the fuss was about until we entered one!
Such a beautiful adventure on a beautiful day. But the fun does not end there...
...after we paddled back in through the ever increasing swells and larger waves and Sean spotting an actual shark (yes, I said shark, but it's a really small one that can't hurt a person I am "assured,") we head over to the fishing tournament bbq.
We get to the bbq too early and are tempted to leave until we are told this is the best part of the day because there is fantastic food and an extraordinary raffle with a gazillion prizes where almost everyone is assured to leave with something. Well, that's enough to keep us around, and although Sean did not come home with the biggest fish of the day, he did come home with the big raffle prize of the day. We are now the proud owners of our very own kayak!!! And yes, the person that presented us with our new kayak was none other than the person we rented our kayak from! We are so completely blessed and are already planning it's maiden voyage!!!

"We Were Meant To Live"

My diary page (see yesterday's post) reminds me of a good old fashioned carnival. Living in a small town just outside a big city gives us the benefits of a simple country life with big city living at our fingertips. We have our share of craft fairs, the Big Red Barn Country Folk Art Sale (!) and small, church sponsored carnivals, but we often find ourselves going into the city for our bigger entertainment. The Del Mar Fair (oops-now supposedly called the San Diego County Fair) has just the right amount of old fashioned charm mixed with big city life. We've been to some great headlining concerts at this venue, only to be followed up with a visit down the rows and rows of animals.
Last week, we saw Switchfoot in concert at the fair. I've never been disappointed with one of their shows, even when they were just starting out, playing in a jam-packed room to a bible study in Pacific Beach. Their shows are always energetic and the lyrics, thought-provoking. Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, Meant to Live:

Fumbling his confidence
And wondering why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

Dreaming about Providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken

We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life, yeah

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live
We were meant to live

Happy 4th of July!

I think the 4th of July just might be my favorite holiday ever! This year, Sean and I paddled out on a surfboard to watch the fireworks go off right over our heads after being shot off from the pier. The finale was full of patriotic red, white and blue - Spectacular!