Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Hatchery Art Exhibit
On Saturday, Leila and I went up to Badger for a really interesting art exhibit at the old Synanon site. It was really trippy and a little spooky, but the way these local artists have transformed it (and are continuing to transform it) is outrageously intriguing. I just had to share this here.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Recent fashion statements
Leila has been nurturing a pretty avant garde sense of style.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, October 16, 2010
September/October Update
Pardon the absence here, but we've been busy. As usual, click on any image below for an expanded view.
I'll begin this long photo essay with a sweet little pic of Leila proudly displaying the American flag that she painted her stud Uncle Kris who is in Ranger School. He's been kicking ass and is nearly done. (9/6/10) [Update: We just found out that Kris has officially completed Ranger School! He was among just 20% who finished the grueling training the first time around. Congrats to my bro!]
David came out for a really nice visit with Leila at the end of September. We all enjoyed some great meals, a wonderful journey through the pumpkin patch, and lots of good play time. True to character, Leila dazzled and charmed and certainly filled her dad's heart with pride and joy. (9/25/10)
Leila, staking her claim on a good one...
Hide and seek in the corn fields...
She couldn't get enough of this corn kernel "sandbox." She would've spent hours in there, but when the tractor pulled up for a hayride, we convinced her that there was fun to be had outside the kernel box.
The hayride proved a success.
On Sunday, I took Leila to one of the coolest birthday parties ever. The party was a well-executed fair, complete with goat-feeding, horse-petting (Leila delighted in feeding the goats carrots but refused to go anywhere near the horses), carnival games, prizes, popcorn, a pinata, creative ice cream cupcakes, and loads of candy. Leila was in heaven!
She took a couple feeble whacks at the pinata, but it wasn't really her thing... that is, until she realized it was full of candy, then she was all over it.
Mmmm, cupcakes.
My parents moved out of their Ivanhoe home, ending a rich and eventful 38-year era. It was so strange to see the house of my childhood packed up and emptied of its warmth and memories. Leila didn't seem to mind and enjoyed the new digs in the couchless living room. (10/3/10)
She also really got into the groove of the last day move-out cleaning extravaganza and was Nana's eager little helper...
It's been a busy several weeks and the last event in our string of crazy weekends took us up to the northern Sonoma coast for a refreshing and raging fun weekend with friends who convened from near and far to celebrate Adrienne and John tying the knot. The drive north was less than smooth. We left too late, I underestimated the duration of the drive and we found ourselves on a dark and foggy and immensely curvy Highway 1 at 8pm. Leila got sick and I finally succumbed to my own exhaustion, so we rented a room 12 miles east in the quaint little town of Guerneville, CA. On the morning of Saturday the 8th, we hit the road and stopped frequently to quell any potential tummy eruptions in the backseat.
The view from the road...
For whatever reason Leila thought it would be fun to get swaddled. She was right. She had everyone giggling, and it made for a great picture.
We made one attempt to take a stroll on Sea Ranch's stunning beach. It didn't work out well. As it turns out, Leila is even more terrified of the ocean than she ever was. She flew into hysterics when we got halfway down our descent to the water. Every time a wave crashed toward us (still 100 feet away at least), she shrieked madly. I pleaded with her to be "nicer to the ocean" but she refused any logic I fumbled to provide about how friendly and beautiful the ocean is.
You can't really tell here in this picture, but she's cringing with tense fear and trying really hard to stifle her cries.
A moment of tenuous calm between the hysterics.
Wedding day...10/10/10!
Adrienne, a most stunning bride!! Everything about the day and the ceremony and the party that proceeded (and preceded) was perfect. [Adrienne, thank you for a remarkable weekend!]
Leila and I both really enjoyed the journey to the toilet, which involved traipsing past the wine casks at the Annapolis Vineyard.
There were several kids, all of whom got along splendidly. It's so great to see her in action.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening (for everyone) was how Leila and her new friend, Keen, tore up the dance floor all night long. Keen, Leila and Louie all took turns breakdancing and they commanded the floor with a circle of cheering adults surrounding them for most of the night. A couple times I made the mistake of trying to join Leila in the middle and she said, "Mom, it's not your turn!"
Adrienne's ladies (and Louie)...
The whirling dervish...
But by the end of the night, her energy finally peaked. She still wanted to dance, but wanted to do so in my arms. She was a great date!
And as a P.S., here is a pic of me from the Shaver Lake triathlon that I did on 9/18/10. It was brutal. I certainly had reason to be as nervous as I look in this photo.
I'll begin this long photo essay with a sweet little pic of Leila proudly displaying the American flag that she painted her stud Uncle Kris who is in Ranger School. He's been kicking ass and is nearly done. (9/6/10) [Update: We just found out that Kris has officially completed Ranger School! He was among just 20% who finished the grueling training the first time around. Congrats to my bro!]
David came out for a really nice visit with Leila at the end of September. We all enjoyed some great meals, a wonderful journey through the pumpkin patch, and lots of good play time. True to character, Leila dazzled and charmed and certainly filled her dad's heart with pride and joy. (9/25/10)
Leila, staking her claim on a good one...
Hide and seek in the corn fields...
She couldn't get enough of this corn kernel "sandbox." She would've spent hours in there, but when the tractor pulled up for a hayride, we convinced her that there was fun to be had outside the kernel box.
The hayride proved a success.
On Sunday, I took Leila to one of the coolest birthday parties ever. The party was a well-executed fair, complete with goat-feeding, horse-petting (Leila delighted in feeding the goats carrots but refused to go anywhere near the horses), carnival games, prizes, popcorn, a pinata, creative ice cream cupcakes, and loads of candy. Leila was in heaven!
She took a couple feeble whacks at the pinata, but it wasn't really her thing... that is, until she realized it was full of candy, then she was all over it.
Mmmm, cupcakes.
My parents moved out of their Ivanhoe home, ending a rich and eventful 38-year era. It was so strange to see the house of my childhood packed up and emptied of its warmth and memories. Leila didn't seem to mind and enjoyed the new digs in the couchless living room. (10/3/10)
She also really got into the groove of the last day move-out cleaning extravaganza and was Nana's eager little helper...
It's been a busy several weeks and the last event in our string of crazy weekends took us up to the northern Sonoma coast for a refreshing and raging fun weekend with friends who convened from near and far to celebrate Adrienne and John tying the knot. The drive north was less than smooth. We left too late, I underestimated the duration of the drive and we found ourselves on a dark and foggy and immensely curvy Highway 1 at 8pm. Leila got sick and I finally succumbed to my own exhaustion, so we rented a room 12 miles east in the quaint little town of Guerneville, CA. On the morning of Saturday the 8th, we hit the road and stopped frequently to quell any potential tummy eruptions in the backseat.
The view from the road...
For whatever reason Leila thought it would be fun to get swaddled. She was right. She had everyone giggling, and it made for a great picture.
We made one attempt to take a stroll on Sea Ranch's stunning beach. It didn't work out well. As it turns out, Leila is even more terrified of the ocean than she ever was. She flew into hysterics when we got halfway down our descent to the water. Every time a wave crashed toward us (still 100 feet away at least), she shrieked madly. I pleaded with her to be "nicer to the ocean" but she refused any logic I fumbled to provide about how friendly and beautiful the ocean is.
You can't really tell here in this picture, but she's cringing with tense fear and trying really hard to stifle her cries.
A moment of tenuous calm between the hysterics.
Wedding day...10/10/10!
Adrienne, a most stunning bride!! Everything about the day and the ceremony and the party that proceeded (and preceded) was perfect. [Adrienne, thank you for a remarkable weekend!]
Leila and I both really enjoyed the journey to the toilet, which involved traipsing past the wine casks at the Annapolis Vineyard.
There were several kids, all of whom got along splendidly. It's so great to see her in action.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening (for everyone) was how Leila and her new friend, Keen, tore up the dance floor all night long. Keen, Leila and Louie all took turns breakdancing and they commanded the floor with a circle of cheering adults surrounding them for most of the night. A couple times I made the mistake of trying to join Leila in the middle and she said, "Mom, it's not your turn!"
Adrienne's ladies (and Louie)...
The whirling dervish...
But by the end of the night, her energy finally peaked. She still wanted to dance, but wanted to do so in my arms. She was a great date!
And as a P.S., here is a pic of me from the Shaver Lake triathlon that I did on 9/18/10. It was brutal. I certainly had reason to be as nervous as I look in this photo.
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